Luke 13:12

Greek (Tischendorf 8th ed.)

English Translation

When Jesus saw her, he called her, and said to her, "Woman, you are freed from your infirmity."

World English Bible · Public Domain

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προσεφώνησεν

prosphōnéō

G4377

“to call to”

Verb, Aorist, Active, Indicative, 3rd person, Singular

Appears 7× in the Greek New Testament
First appears at Matthew 11:16

Full Thayer's Definition

Origin: from G4314 and G5455

TDNT: None

1. to call to, to address by calling 2. to call to one's self, summon

About this verse

These counts appear in no published source. They are computed here, from the morphology-tagged text and Lemma’s own curated glosses. What Lemma adds →

15: words
13: distinct lemmas
Gospels: section

Notable vocabulary

The rarest word here is προσεφώνησεν to call to G4377 — appearing just 7 times in the whole Greek New Testament.

Shared distinctive vocabulary

προσεφώνησεν to call to G4377 occurs in 7 verses of the Greek New Testament. Also found in:

Repetition

Words recur within this verse:

αὐτὴν he G846 ×2
ὁ the G3588 ×2

Cross-references

Topical passages linked to Luke 13:12 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — connected by theme and wording, ordered by reader-vote popularity; previews shown in the World English Bible.

Psalms 107:20 He sends his word, and heals them, And delivers them from their graves.
Matthew 8:16 When evening came, they brought to him many possessed with demons. He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick;
Isaiah 65:1 I am inquired of by those who didn't ask; I am found by those who didn't seek me: I said, See me, see me, to a nation that was not called by my name.
Joel 3:10 Beat your plowshares into swords, And your pruning hooks into spears. Let the weak say, "I am strong."
Luke 6:8–10 But he knew their thoughts; and he said to the man who had the withered hand, "Rise up, and stand in the middle." He arose and stood.
Luke 13:16 Ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan had bound eighteen long years, be freed from this bondage on the Sabbath day?"

Cross-references courtesy of OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0).

Commentary

Notes on Luke 13:12 from classic Christian and Jewish commentators (each source and its license shown beneath its notes). The classic Christian expositions comment on the surrounding passage and are grouped to its opening verse, so a note may address several verses; the Jewish commentaries on the Tanakh (Rashi and others) are per-verse, so they appear only where the commentator wrote on this verse.

Lemma curates 59 commentaries, every one of them public domain or Creative Commons licensed, each selected and text-cleaned for this edition rather than reprinted as found. About our sources →

Commentary source

Bengel's Gnomon

Johann Albrecht Bengel

Luk 13:12. Ἰδὼν, having seen) The woman seems to have had longing desire after Him, and confidence in Him.—ἀπολέλυσαι, thou art loosed) even now already: the preterite. The same expression occurs Luk 13:15-16.

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

Expositor's Greek Testament

ed. W. Robertson Nicoll

Luk 13:12 . προσεφώνησε : Jesus, ever prompt to sympathise, called her to Him when His eye lit upon the bent figure. ἀπολέλυσαι : perfect for future, the thing as good as done; spoken to cheer the downcast woman while she approaches. The cure was consummated by touch when she came up to Jesus (Luk 13:13 ), whereupon the eighteen years’ sufferer burst into praise: ἐδόξαζε τὸν Θεόν . A lifelike moving scene.

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

Geneva Bible (1599)

Geneva Bible translators

For Satan had the woman bound, as if she had been in chains, insomuch that for eighteen years space she could not hold up her head.

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

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown

said . . . Woman . . . and laid--both at once.

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

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(12) Woman, thou art loosed from thine infirmity.—Better, thou hast been loosed . . . The words were obviously a test of the woman’s faith. Would she, on hearing the words, make the effort to do what she had not done for eighteen years? The verb, it may be noted, is in the perfect. The work of healing was already completed.

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

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne

12. thou art loosed] Here, as elsewhere, the delicacy and force of the Greek tense implying the immediateness and the permanence of the cure can only be expressed in English by a periphrasis.

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.

John Gill's Exposition

And when Jesus saw her,.... In the synagogue among the people, either whilst, or after he had done teaching:

he called her to him, to come nearer him, and said unto her; of his own accord, without being asked by the woman, or any other for her, out of great compassion to her, seeing her in this miserable condition, and knowing full well the nature, cause, and long continuance of her disorder:

woman, thou art loosed from thine infirmity; which had not only bowed her, but it had bound her, as if she had been bound with cords; but Christ by saying these words, with his hands laid upon her, burst her bonds asunder, dispossessed the evil spirit, and delivered her from her long affliction.

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

Trapp's Complete Commentary

John Trapp

12 And when Jesus saw her, he called her to him, and said unto her, Woman, thou art loosed from thine infirmity.

Ver. 12. Thou art loosed] For she had been bound by Satan, Luk 13:16. All wicked worldlings are worse bound, and go grovelling, but feel it not, look not out for help, look not up to heaven, till laid upon their backs by death, as swine ready to be stuck.

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.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Thou art loosed from thine infirmity - This was a remarkable declaration. It does not appear that the woman “applied” to him for a cure; yet Jesus addressed her, and the disease departed. How clear would be the proofs from such a case that he was the Messiah! And how mighty the power of him that by a word could restore her to health!

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

Whedon's Commentary on the Bible

Daniel D. Whedon

12. Saw her… called—While Jesus is teaching, the debilitated cripple is descried by him in the women’s part of the synagogue, and she comes forth at his command, apparently so bowed down that she could scarce have seen the face of her benefactor if he stood in the pulpit.

Loosed—For Satan’s grasp had fastened and tied her down with her own stiffened sinews and muscles. Jesus lays his hand upon her, through which a heavenly power is poured, and the Satanic spell disappears.

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

unfoldingWord translationNotes

Door43 World Missions Community

Woman, you are freed from your weakness

"Woman, you are healed from your disease." This can be expressed with an active verb: AT: "Woman, I have set you free from your weakness" (See: Active or Passive)

Woman, you are freed from your weakness

By saying this, Jesus healed her. This can be expressed with a sentence that shows that he was causing it to happen, or by a command. AT: "Woman, I now free you from your weakness" or "Woman, be freed from your weakness" (See: Statements - Other Uses)

He placed his hands on her

"He touched her"

she was straightened up

This could be stated in active form. AT: "she stood up straight" (See: Active or Passive)

was indignant

"was very angry"

answered and said

"said" or "responded"

be healed then

This could be stated in active form. AT: "let someone heal you during those six days" (See: Active or Passive)

on the Sabbath day

"on a Sabbath day." Some languages would say "a Sabbath" because we do not know which particular Sabbath day it was.

translationWords

Jesus

glory

God

synagogue

rule

cure

Sabbath

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

Cambridge Greek Testament for Schools and Colleges

12. ἀπολέλυσαι. Here, as elsewhere, the delicacy and force of the Greek tense implying the immediateness and the permanence of the cure can only be expressed in English by a periphrasis.

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.

Alford’s Greek Testament

Henry Alford

12.] There is no reason to suppose any eminence of faith in her—though we may fairly conclude that she was there with some expectation of a cure: see ver. 14.

ἀπολέλ. expresses the setting free of her muscles from the power which bound them down,—and then, ver. 13, the laying on of the divine hands confers upon her strength to rise and stand upright. It would be, in such a case, one thing to be loosed from the stiffening of years,—and another to have strength at once conferred to stand upright.

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

International Critical Commentary

12. ἀπολέλυσαι. “Thou hash been and remainest loosed”; an unasked for cure. Comp. ἀφέωνται (5:20, 7:48).

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

Vincent's Word Studies in the New Testament

Marvin R. Vincent

Thou art loosed [απολελυσαι] . The only passage in the New Testament where the word is used of disease. Medical writers use it of releasing from disease, relaxing tendons, and taking off bandages.

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

Lesson kit

Teaching starters — assembled from the data on this page, not authored interpretation. Every prompt links to the verse data it draws on. Edit before teaching.

Luke, in the Gospels, opens this verse with 15 words (13 distinct Greek lemmas). Its most distinctive word is prosphōnéō (“to call to”). A historical commentator’s framing appears above. Read the whole chapter for the surrounding context.

Discussion questions

The word prosphōnéō carries the sense “to call to.” How does it shape the verse?
Matthew 11:16 shares the word «to call to» with this verse. How do the two illuminate each other?
“he” occurs 2× in this one verse. What is the effect of the repetition?
The translations on this page render this verse differently — a whole-verse word diff, not a word-by-word alignment. What might account for the different wordings?
Reading how Bengel's Gnomon and Expositor's Greek Testament read this verse, where do the two commentators agree and where do they part?

Things to notice

These translations choose different wording for 12 words in this verse.
“he” occurs 2× in this single verse.
13 distinct Greek lemmas span 15 words in this verse.