Luke 19:14

14. hated him] And this was not strange, seeing that the very beginning of his reign had been signalised by a hideous massacre of his subjects. (Jos. Antt. xvii. 9, § 3.)

and sent a message after hint] Rather, an embassy to follow him (Luk_14:32). Here again the incident would be entirely obscure, if we did not know from Josephus that the Jews did send an embassy of 50 to Augustus—who were met on their arrival at Rome by 8000 Jews—to recount the cruelties of Archelaus, and plead for deliverance from him and the Herods generally. (Jos. Antt. xvii. 11, § 1, &c.) Although not immediately successful, the embassy was one of the circumstances which led to his ultimate deposition.

this man] The ‘this’ is supremely contemptuous. For the fact shadowed forth see Joh_15:18; Joh_19:14-15; Joh_19:21.

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.

Luk 19:14-15. But his citizens hated him — The natural subjects of this king’s son, (see on Luk 19:12,) “hated him without a cause, as appears from the message which they sent to this potentate, from whom he sought what in latter times has been called investiture. For in that message they alleged no crime against him. But only expressed their ill-will toward him, by declaring that they would not have him to reign over them. This is a fit representation of the causeless opposition which the Jewish great men made to Jesus. The message which these citizens sent after their prince had no effect; he received the kingdom, and returned with full authority, which he exercised in calling his servants to account, and in punishing his rebellious subjects. So the opposition which the Jews made to our Lord’s being made king proved ineffectual. Having, therefore, all power in heaven and in earth given unto him, he will return to reckon with his apostles and ministers, and other servants, and especially his rebellious subjects.” Nay, he has returned already in more respects than one, and has both punished the Jews and other persecutors of his people, and opposers of his gospel, with most exemplary punishment. Then he commanded these servants to be called, that he might know how much every man had gained, &c. — So Jesus, both at the day of men’s death, and at the general judgment, will make a strict inquiry into the use and improvement which all his servants, but especially the ministers of his gospel, have made of the talents and opportunities committed to them. See Macknight, and notes on Mat 25:19, &c.

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

19:14 his people hated him and sent a delegation: This happened to Archelaus, the son of Herod the Great, who violently put down protests after the death of his father. In response, the Jews sent a delegation to plead against his kingship before the Roman emperor.

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

Luk 19:14. Πολῖται, citizens) as the people of Jerusalem were.—ἐμισοῦν, conceived a hatred towards Him) See Luk 19:47.—ἀπέστειλαν, sent) after His departure.—τοῦτον, this fellow) They speak contemptuously.

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

Luk_19:14-15. The embassy sent forth after him (ὀπίσω αὐτοῦ) goes to the bestower of the kingdom; hence τοῦτον; fastidiose loquuntur, Bengel.

οἱ πολῖται αὐτοῦ] his fellow-citizens, Plat. Protag. p. 315 C, and frequently; Gen_23:11.

οὐ θέλομεν κ.τ.λ.] not instead of θέλομεν τοῦτον οὐ βασιλ. (Markland, ad Lys. I. p. 280 f.; Bornemann), but definite rejection: we will not that this man shall be king. On βασιλεύσαι (Aor.), see Schaefer, App. ad Dem. III. p. 457.

Luk_19:15. In respect of the form γνοῖ (Lachmann, Tischendorf), see on Mar_5:43.

τίς τί] who gained anything, and what he gained? See on Mar_15:24.

διαπραγματ.] not: negotiando lucratus esset (Castalio, so usually), but: had undertaken. Comp. Dion. Hal. iii. 72. Passages where διαπραγμ. means perscrutari are not in point here, Plat. Phaed.

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 19:14 . πολῖται = συμπολῖται , fellow-citizens of the aspirant to kingship while a private citizen (as in Gen 23:11 , Sept [151] , Heb 8:11 , W.H [152] ). ἐμίσουν , hated habitually, showing something far wrong in him, or in them . πρεσβείαν : this actually happened in the case of Archelaus, on just grounds ; this, however, is no proof that he cannot have been in Christ’s mind. The point is, hatred just or unjust, in the case both of Archelaus and of Jesus very real. οὐ θέλομεν , we don’t wish, an emphatic nolumus , stronger than θέλομεν τοῦτον οὐ , etc.

[151] Septuagint.

[152] Westcott and Hort.

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

14. ἐμίσουν αὐτόν. And this was not strange, seeing that the very beginning of his reign had been signalised by a hideous massacre of his subjects. (Jos. Antt. XVII. 9, § 3.)

πρεσβείαν ὀπίσω αὐτοῦ. ‘An embassy to follow him’ (Luk 14:32). Vulg[332] legationem. Here again the incident would be entirely obscure, if we did not know from Josephus that the Jews did send an embassy of 50 to Augustus—who were met on their arrival at Rome by 8000 Jews—to recount the cruelties of Archelaus, and plead for deliverance from him and the Herods generally. (Jos. Antt. XVII. 11, § 1, &c.) Although not immediately successful, the embassy was one of the circumstances which led to his ultimate deposition.

[332] Vulg. Vulgate.

τοῦτον. The ‘this’ is supremely contemptuous. For the fact shadowed forth see Joh 15:18; Joh 19:14-15; Joh 19:21.

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.

his citizens--His proper subjects; meaning the Jews, who expressly repudiating our Lord's claims said, "We have no king but Cæsar" (Joh 19:15). In Christendom, these correspond to infidel rejecters of Christianity, as distinguished from professed Christians.

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 14. His citizens] Or countrymen - the Jewish people, who professed to be subjects of the kingdom of God.

Hated him] Despised him for the meanness of his birth, his crucifixion to the world, and for the holiness of his doctrine. Neither mortification nor holiness suits the dispositions of the carnal mind.

Sent a message after him] As, in Lu 19:12, there is an allusion to a person's going to Rome, when elected to be ruler of a province or kingdom, to receive that dignity from the hand of the emperor, so it is here intimated that, after the person went to receive this dignity, some of the discontented citizens took the opportunity to send an embassy to the emperor, to prevent him from establishing the object of their hatred in the government.

We will not have this man, &c.] The Jews rejected Jesus Christ, would not submit to his government, and, a short time after this, preferred even a murderer to him. Like cleaves to like. No wonder that those who murdered the Lord of glory should prefer a murderer, one of their own temper, to the Redeemer of their souls.

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

(14) But his citizens hated him, and sent a message after him.—Here, also, recent history supplied a feature in the parable. This was precisely what the Jews had done in the case of Archelaus, both at the time referred to in the Note on Luk_19:12, and later on, when their complaints were brought before the Emperor, and led to his deposition and banishment to Gaul. That which answers to it in the inner meaning of the parable is the unwillingness of the Jews—or, taking a wider view of the interpretation, of mankind at large—to accept the law of Christ or acknowledge His sovereignty.

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

And it came to pass that when he was returned,.... Which return was either in power to Jerusalem, in the destruction of that city; or which will be in person to this earth, at the end of the world; and will be local and visible, and in great glory, attended with the holy angels, and with all the saints: the time is fixed and certain, though unknown, and will be sudden and unexpected; but will not be till after the Gospel has had a general spread all over the world, and the Jews are converted, and the fulness of the Gentiles brought in, and then will Christ come:

having received the kingdom; not only having been set down at the right hand of God, and crowned with glory and honour, and received gifts for men, which he bestowed on them; and which proved him to be Lord and Christ; all which was done at his ascension, after which his kingdom came, or he returned in power and glory, to take vengeance on the Jews; but also having received the kingdom of glory for all his saints, and particularly having received the kingdom of priests, or all the elect of God, these being all called by grace, and gathered to him, as they will every one of them before his second coming; when this kingdom will be delivered to the Father complete and perfect; and this will a reckoning time, as follows:

then he commanded those servants to be called, to whom he had given the money. The servants are the ministers of the word, who must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; and give an account of themselves to God, the Judge of all; and of their gifts and talents, and ministrations, and the souls under their care: the persons who are "commanded" to call them are the angels, and who shall be employed in gathering all the elect together; the thing that will be inquired about, and must be accounted for, is the "money" given them; that is, the Gospel they are intrusted with, and the gifts to preach it bestowed on them: the end of this summons is,

that he might know how much every man had gained by trading; not but that Christ, who is the omniscient God, the searcher of the heart, and a discerner of the thoughts and intents of it, knows full well the use that is made of every man's gift, and the benefits and advantages arising from it, both for his own glory, and the good of souls; but these summons will be given, this account taken, and inquiry made, that these things which are known to him, might be made manifest to all, and every man have praise of God; whose will it is that he should have it, and sloth and negligence be justly punished.

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

12 He said therefore, A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return.

13 And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come.

14 But his citizens hated him, and sent a message after him, saying, We will not have this man to reign over us.

Ver. 14. Sent a message] Instead of sending a lamb to this ruler of the earth, Isa 16:1, of the covering his altar with the calves of their lips, Hos 14:3. Such masterless monsters are rife everywhere, such dust heaps are found in every corner.

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.

But his citizens - His “subjects,” or the people whom he was desirous of ruling.

Hated him - On account of his character, and their fear of oppression. This was, in fact, the case with regard to Archelaus, the Jewish prince, who went to Rome to be confirmed in his kingdom.

Sent a message, saying ... - His discontented subjects, fearing what would be the character of his reign, sent an embassy to remonstrate against his being appointed as the ruler. This actually took place. Archelaus went to Rome to obtain from Augustus a confirmation of his title to reign over that part of Judea which had been left him by his father, Herod the Great. The Jews, knowing his character (compare Mat 2:22), sent an embassy of 50 men to Rome, to prevail on Augustus “not” to confer the title on him, but they could not succeed. He “received” the kingdom, and reigned in Judea in the place of his father. As this fact was “fresh” in the memory of the Jews, it makes this parable much more striking. By this part of it Christ designed to denote that the Jews would reject “him” - the Messiah, and would say that they did not desire him to reign over them. See Joh 1:11. So it is true of all sinners that they do not “wish” Jesus to reign over them, and, if it were possible, would cast him off, and never submit to his reign.

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

14. His citizens—For it was not a foreign kingdom which this nobleman went to obtain, but the sovereignty over his own state. Our Lord here predicts of himself that he is about to depart, laden with the rejection by his countrymen of his claims. He came to his own and his own received him not.

Sent a message after him—The Jews sent their embassy to the court of the emperor against Archelaus. By parity, the rejection of Christ by sinners goes to the very court of heaven. Nay, it rejects God himself.

We will not— The verb will here, as in several places of the New Testament, loses much of its force by being mistaken for the auxiliary verb will. Let it here be rendered “we WILL that this man shall not reign over us.” It is a wicked, insulting will that continues the foul rebellion.

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

But his citizens hated him. Again history supplies the framework. This was what the Jews had done in the case of Archelaus.

They had sent a hostile deputation to complain of their future king before the emperor"s court at Rome. In the parable, in these "citizens who hated him" a thinly veiled picture is given of those Jews who utterly rejected the mission of Jesus, and by whose designs the Crucifixion was brought about.

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

But his citizens - Such were those of Jerusalem, hated him, and sent an embassy after him - The word seems to imply, their sending ambassadors to a superior court, to enter their protest against his being admitted to the regal power. In such a solemn manner did the Jews protest, as it were, before God, that Christ should not reign over them: this man - So they call him in contempt.

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

14. His citizens hated him. The Jews. After his departure, they still refused to have him for king.

B. W. Johnson's The People's New Testament with Notes (1889–1891) — public domain. Electronic text from the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (CCEL) ThML edition.

14.] The nobleman, son of a king, εὐγενής, is the Lord Jesus; the kingdom is that over his own citizens, the Jews. They sent a message after Him; their cry went up to Heaven, in the persecutions of his servants, &c.; we will not have this man to reign over us. The prarble has a double import: suited both to the disciples (οἱ δοῦλοι ἑαυτοῦ), and the multitude (οἱ πολῖται αὐτοῦ).

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

14. While the δοῦλοι represent the disciples, the πολῖται represent the Jew. The Jews hated Jesus without cause, ἐμίσησάν μεδωρεάν (Joh 15:25; Psa 68:5): but they had reason enough for hating Archelaus, who had massacred about 3000 of them at the first Passover after his accession (Ant. xvii. 9. 3; B. J. ii. 1. 3).

οὐ θέλομεν τοῦτον. They state no reasons: stat pro ratione voluntas. The τοῦτον is contemptuous (istum), or at least expresses alienation: “he is no man of ours.” So the Jews, of Christ

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