Luke 17:16

Greek (Tischendorf 8th ed.)

English Translation

He fell on his face at Jesus' feet, giving him thanks; and he was a Samaritan.

World English Bible · Public Domain

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Σαμαρίτης

Samareítēs

G4541

“Samaritan”

Noun, Nominative, Singular, Masculine

Appears 8× in the Greek New Testament
First appears at Matthew 10:5

Full Thayer's Definition

Origin: from G4540

TDNT: 08:29,0

1. a Samaritan, a. an inhabitant of the city of Samaria b. an inhabitant of the region of Samaria

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 →

14: words
11: distinct lemmas
Gospels: section

Notable vocabulary

The rarest word here is Σαμαρίτης Samaritan G4541 — appearing just 8 times in the whole Greek New Testament.

Shared distinctive vocabulary

Σαμαρίτης Samaritan G4541 occurs in 8 verses of the Greek New Testament. Also found in:

Repetition

Words recur within this verse:

αὐτοῦ he G846 ×3
καὶ and G2532 ×2

Cross-references

Topical passages linked to Luke 17:16 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — connected by theme and wording, ordered by reader-vote popularity; previews shown in the World English Bible.

Acts 8:5–25 Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and proclaimed to them the Christ.
Matthew 10:5 Jesus sent these twelve out, and charged them, saying, "Don't go among the Gentiles, and don't enter into any city of the Samaritans.
Revelation 19:10 I fell down before his feet to worship him. He said to me, "Look! Don't do it! I am a fellow bondservant with you and with your brothers who hold the testimony of Jesus. Worship God, for the testimony of Jesus is the Spirit of Prophecy."
Luke 10:32–35 In the same way a Levite also, when he came to the place, and saw him, passed by on the other side.
Revelation 19:4–5 The twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who sits on the throne, saying, "Amen! Hallelujah!"
Luke 9:52–56 and sent messengers before his face. They went, and entered into a village of the Samaritans, so as to prepare for him.
John 4:9 The Samaritan woman therefore said to him, "How is it that you, being a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?" (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.)
John 4:39–42 From that city many of the Samaritans believed in him because of the word of the woman, who testified, "He told me everything that I did."

Acts 1:8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you. You will be witnesses to me in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the uttermost parts of the earth."
Revelation 4:10 the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne, and worship him who lives forever and ever, and throw their crowns before the throne, saying,
Revelation 5:14 The four living creatures said, "Amen!" The elders fell down and worshiped.
Genesis 17:3 Abram fell on his face. God talked with him, saying,
Mark 5:33 But the woman, fearing and trembling, knowing what had been done to her, came and fell down before him, and told him all the truth.
Luke 5:8 But Simon Peter, when he saw it, fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, Lord."
John 4:21–22 Jesus said to her, "Woman, believe me, the hour comes, when neither in this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, will you worship the Father.
John 5:23 that all may honor the Son, even as they honor the Father. He who doesn't honor the Son doesn't honor the Father who sent him.

John 8:48 Then the Jews answered him, "Don't we say well that you are a Samaritan, and have a demon?"
Matthew 2:11 They came into the house and saw the young child with Mary, his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Opening their treasures, they offered to him gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
Acts 10:25–26 When it happened that Peter entered, Cornelius met him, fell down at his feet, and worshiped him.

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

Commentary

Notes on Luke 17:16 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

Tyndale Open Study Notes

Tyndale Open Resources

17:16 The one man who returned to thank Jesus was a Samaritan, a hated foreigner in the eyes of most Jews (see study note on 10:33).

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

Bengel's Gnomon

Johann Albrecht Bengel

Luk 17:16. Σαμαρείτης, a Samaritan) Luk 17:11 [Belonging to Samaria, through the borders of which Jesus was ‘passing’].

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 17:16 . Σαμαρείτης : this, with the comment of Jesus, the point of interest for Lk.

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

Adam Clarke's Commentary

Verse 16. He was a Samaritan.] One who professed a very corrupt religion; and from whom much less was to be expected than from the other nine, who probably were Jews.

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

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(16) And he was a Samaritan.—As in the parable of the Good Samaritan, St. Luke’s purpose in the selection of the incident falls in with what may be called the Catholicity of his Gospel, the breaking down of every middle wall of partition that divided the Jew from the other nations of the world. As the narrative is peculiar to his record, we may reasonably believe that it was one of the facts with which he became acquainted in the course of his personal inquiries in Galilee and Samaria. It is significant, in this case, that the barrier had been already broken down for a time by the common pressure of calamity, but no enduring sense of fellowship had as yet taken its place. The nine would seem to have separated themselves from the Samaritan as soon as they were cleansed. Men want more than the “misery” which our common proverb associates with “strange” companions, before they learn the lesson of brotherhood in its fulness.

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

16. he was a Samaritan] See on Luk_10:33.

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 Jesus answering, said,.... After the Samaritan had paid his respects to him, and made his acknowledgments in this grateful way:

were there not ten cleansed? so many applied for a cure, and so many had it:

but where are the nine? or nine of them; here was one, but where were the rest? they went and showed themselves to the priests, and then returned to their several places of abode, and took no notice of their physician and Saviour, to make any returns to him. They are many, that are cleansed by the blood of Christ; his blood was shed for many, for the remission of sins; and by his righteousness, he justifies many; at least there are many who profess themselves to be cleansed by him, and yet there are but few that glorify him, by keeping close to the rule of his word, by giving up themselves to the churches of Christ, and by walking with them in the ordinances of the Gospel: Christ's flock, which is separated from the world, and walks in Gospel order, within the inclosures of it, is but a little flock; they are but a few names in Sardis, who have not defiled themselves, with corruptions in doctrine and discipline; and these few are often such, who have been the worst of men, the vilest of sinners, from whom it has been least expected, they should glorify Christ: publicans and harlots go into the kingdom of heaven, the Gospel church state, embrace its doctrines, and submit to its ordinances, when the Scribes and Pharisees, self-righteous persons, do not: ingratitude is a crime many are guilty of, and it is highly resented by Christ; instances of gratitude are few, but as one in ten; now and then a single Samaritan, a stranger, one that has been a vile sinner, comes and acknowledges the grace of Christ in cleansing him; comes to the ministers of Christ, and to the churches, and tells them what God has done for his soul: but where are the rest, the many others, who have received spiritual advantages, and never come to relate them, and express by words and deeds, thankfulness for them?

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

16 And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan.

Ver. 16. Giving him thanks] A thankful man is worth his weight in gold. Sed perraro grati homines reperiuntur, saith Cicero ( pro Planc.). Plerique ut accipiant importuni, donec acceperint, inquieti; ubi acceperint, ingrati, saith the father. Most pray, but pay not.

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.

Whedon's Commentary on the Bible

Daniel D. Whedon

16. And he was a Samaritan—A Samaritan, and like Luke himself a Gentile. Full proof that the power of true faith and the mercy of God through faith, are not limited to the sons of Abraham. We have indeed in the whole narrative a significant hint of the worldly and dead faith by which Israel fell, contrasted with the faith working by love by which the true Israel rises.

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

The Pulpit Commentary

And he was a Samaritan. Apparently nine of these lepers were Jews, and only one a Samaritan. This man would not have been allowed to associate with Jews but for the miserable disease with which he was afflicted, and which obliterated all distinction of race and caste. It is the same now at Jerusalem; in the leper-houses, termed "Abodes of the Unfortunate," Jews and Mohammedans will live together. Under no other circumstances will these hostile peoples do this.

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

Cambridge Greek Testament for Schools and Colleges

16. ἦν Σαμαρίτης. See on Luk 10:33.

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

16. αὐτ. ἦν Σαμ.] Strauss supposes (and Hase, but doubtfully) from this, that the whole narrative arose out of a parable about Jews and Samaritans. Such an absurd notion is however not without its use for believers. Every miracle is a parable: our Lord did not work mere feats of supernatural power, but preached by His miracles as well as by His discourses.

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

International Critical Commentary

16. καὶ αὐτὸς ἦν Σαμαρείτης . Here the αὐτός has point: “and he was a S.” The only one who exhibited gratitude was a despised schismatic. That all the others were Jews is not implied.

International Critical Commentary — older volumes (1896–1929), various authors — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword 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 14 words (11 distinct Greek lemmas). Its most distinctive word is Samareítēs (“Samaritan”). A historical commentator’s framing appears above. Read the whole chapter for the surrounding context.

Discussion questions

How does “Samaritan” (Samareítēs) shape what this verse is saying?
Matthew 10:5 shares the word «Samaritan» with this verse. How do the two illuminate each other?
“he” occurs 3× in this one verse. What is the effect of the repetition?
These translations render this verse differently; the difference is in the English rendering, not the original. What questions does that raise?
Reading how Tyndale Open Study Notes and Bengel's Gnomon read this verse, where do the two commentators agree and where do they part?

Things to notice

These translations choose different wording for 2 words in this verse.
“he” occurs 3× in this single verse.
11 distinct Greek lemmas span 14 words in this verse.