Luke 19:46

Luk 19:46. Γέγραπται, it is written) See Mat 21:13, note.

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

Luk 19:46 . καὶ ἔσται : the καὶ , a well-attested reading, does not occur in the text quoted (Isa 56:7 ). The words πᾶσιν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν , which do occur, are strangely omitted by Lk., the Gentile evangelist, perhaps to sharpen the contrast between the ideal a house of prayer , and the reality a den of robbers , i.e. , of dishonest traders, or it may be because the temple was now in ruins. The last part of the saying is from Jer 7:11 .

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

46. My house is the house of prayer] Isa_56:7. See on Luk_1:10, Luk_18:10.

a den of thieves] Rather, a brigands’ cave. Our Lord had seen many of these brigands’ caves on the steep rocky sides of the Wady Hamam and elsewhere. Comp. Jer_7:11, “Is this house which is called by my name become a den of robbers in your eyes?” It became still more a murderers’ cave when the sicarii made its pavement swim with blood (Jos. B. J. iv. 3, §§ 7, 10).

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 could not find what they might do,.... The Vulgate Latin, Syriac, and Ethiopic versions, and so Beza's most ancient copy, add, "to him"; they could not find an opportunity of seizing him, nor any advantage against him; they knew not what steps to take, nor how to bring about their wicked design of destroying him.

For all the people were very attentive to hear him; there were great crowds always about him, that hung upon him, as the word rendered "attentive" signifies; they heard him with great eagerness and diligence, and were ready to catch every word that dropped from his lips; and were exceedingly taken with him, having never heard any man speak like him: wherefore having so many followers, and being so high in the opinion and affection of the people, the sanhedrim were at a loss what method to make use of to gain their point; and they feared the people, should they seize him publicly, lest they should rise and rescue him, and cause a tumult and disturbance.

Next: Luke Chapter 20

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

46 Saying unto them, It is written, My house is the house of prayer: but ye have made it a den of thieves.

Ver. 46. See Mat 21:12-13, &c.; {See Trapp on "Joh 2:14"}

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.

The house of prayer.

The strong indignation of our Lord shown on this occasion is a plain indication of the importance he attached to right thought concerning the sanctuary, and to the right use of it. He brought into prominence the act of prayer as that which should, above all things, characterize the house of God. We enter into his thought if we consider

I THE SENSE IN WHICH SACRIFICE WAS PRAYER. The temple existed primarily and pre-eminently for sacrifice. There, and there alone, might sacrifices be offered to the Lord. It was the one place in all the land where the sin offerings and the burnt offerings could be presented. Was it not, then, essentially, the place of sacrifice? Truly; but sacrifice, when rightly viewed, was a form of prayer. In it and by it the offerer drew near, consciously, to the loving God; in it he made confession of sin to God; in it he made acknowledgment of his continual indebtedness to God; in it he supplicated the mercy and the grace of God. But this is prayer; it is prayer in the form of offering rather than in words. Less than this this conscious approach, this confession, thanksgiving, and supplication is not prayer at all. Inasmuch, then, as the temple was the place of sacrifice, it was the place of prayer.

II THE FACT THAT THERE WAS ROOM IN THE TEMPLE FOR PRAYER AS WE ORDINARILY UNDERSTAND IT. We gather from our Lord"s own words that the temple was the place commonly chosen by the people for the offering of prayer. (Luk_18:10) It was toward the temple that the exiled Jews looked when they knelt down to pray in distant lands; and it was in the temple that they stood to pray when that sacred building was within reach. It was, no doubt, regarded as of all places in the world the very fittest in which to realize the presence of Jehovah, and to spread forth the soul"s desires and aspirations before him. There were many places for prayer, but that was the place of prayer.

III THE PLACE OF PRAYER IN THE CHRISTIAN SANCTUARY. By what, above all things else, should the Christian sanctuary be characterized?

1. It should be the place of common assembly. Where all classes of the people meet together, the rich and the poor, and feel that the Lord is the Maker of them all; (Pro_22:2) where the learned and the unlearned worship and bow down together, and "kneel before the Lord their Maker"; (Psa_95:6) it is the place where human spirits meet, and where earthly circumstances are of no account whatever where wealth does not weigh, and rank creates no distinction.

2. It should be the place of spiritual enlightenment.

(1) Where the Word of God is read, and should be read (as it may be) impressively and effectually; for there is nothing in literature which is more fitted to attract and interest a miscellaneous assembly;

(2) where the will of God is faithfully delivered, and the gospel of Christ expounded and enforced;

(3) where the cause of the Master and of mankind is fully and earnestly pleaded. But most especially is it:

3. The place of prayer. Here, either in sacred psalmody, or through some prepared formula, or led by the extemporaneous thought and aspiration of the minister, the worshippers draw nigh to God in every way in which he is approached by man in adoration, in communion, in thanksgiving, in confession, in supplication, in consecration. No worshipper in the house of the Lord can reach a higher level of spiritual attainment than when he pours out his heart in prayer to God in these various utterances; and no minister in the house of the Lord can render to the people gathered together a truer or higher service than when he helps them thus to approach the Father of spirits, and thus to come into direct communion with him. Then is the house of God put to its noblest and worthiest use when it is made by those who meet within its wails "the house of prayer. C.

Desecration.

Our Lord was touched and troubled with a holy indignation as he saw the temple of Jehovah turned into a place of traffic; that which was intended for the approach of the human spirit to God made to serve the purpose of hard bargaining, and even, as we judge from the language of the text, of dishonest dealings. It was a shocking, an intolerable desecration, and, exerting the authority which always resided in him and which he occasionally put into exercise, he drove these hucksters from the sacred place which they were desecrating by their presence and their practices, What places are we now tempted to desecrate?

I THE SANCTUARY. When, instead of making it a place of worship, of drawing near to God, of speaking to him or for him, of learning something more of his holy will, we make it a place for distinguishing ourselves, or for advertising our respectability, or for gaining enjoyment which is wholly unspiritual.

II THE HOME. When that which should be the abode of peace, of love, of purity, of fellowship, of tenderness, of gracious ministry, of quiet growth and joy, is turned into a scene of bitterness, of recrimination, of estrangement, of deterioration, of unhappiness.

III THE PLACE OF BUSINESS. That might be a sphere where valuable virtues and most acceptable graces are manifested and are strengthened truth, equity, courtesy, honour, courage, sagacity; too often it is nothing better than a sphere in which deceit, low cunning, dishonesty, a mean and miserable selfishness, are sown and reaped bountifully.

IV THE HUMAN BODY. In our treatment of this bodily frame, so skilfully and so wonderfully made, so nicely adjusted to receive and convey impressions from and to the outside world of man and nature, we may and we should act as if we were dealing with a very sacred thing. By cleanliness, by moderation, by purity; by entertaining through the ear and the eye God"s own truth and wisdom; by employing the tongue to speak his love and to sing his praise; by letting the graces of Christian character write themselves, as they will, in lineaments of beauty upon our countenance; by letting our bodies be, as they may be, the very temples of the Holy Ghost, (1Co_6:19) we may make them worthy and sacred in the sight of God. But when we regard them as mere instruments of gratification, and make them the ministers of sinful and even shameful pleasure, how great is such desecration before God!

V HUMAN LIFE. It is here that the Holy One most often sees with Divine regret a pitiful desecration. He gave us our life that it might be spent, through all its stages, in sacred service, in spiritual growth, in elevating joy, in excellent preparation for the larger and fuller life beyond. How grievously is it desecrated when it is turned into a time for mere pecuniary acquisition, or for mere fleshly enjoyment, or for mere emptiness and aimlessness of existence!

1. What a pitiful waste is this I and how it will one day be deplored as absolutely irreparable!

2. How perilous to form such evil habits of the soul, every day becoming more fixed l how wise to hear the Master"s voice summoning us to noble service, "Why stand ye all the day idle? go, work in my vineyard"! C.

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

Isaiah lvi, 7.

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

46. ἔσται, אBL, for ἐστιν.

46. οἶκος προσευχῆς. Isa 56:7. See on Luk 1:10, Luk 18:10.

σπήλαιον λῃστῶν. ‘A brigands’ cave.’ Our Lord had seen many of these brigands’ caves (Jos. Antt. I. 12) on the steep rocky sides of the Wady Hamâm and elsewhere. Comp. Jer 7:11, “Is this house which is called by my name become a den of robbers in your eyes?” It became still more a murderers’ cave when the sicarii made its pavement swim with blood (Jos. B. J. IV. 3, §§ 7, 10).

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.] Cleansing of the temple. See on Mat 21:12, Mat 21:13: Mar 11:15-17.

47,

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

46. Here the three narratives are almost verbatim the same, and very different from Joh 2:15, Joh 2:16. On the first occasion, He charged them not to make His Father’s house a house of traffic (οἶκον ἐμπορίου): now He charges them with having made it a robbers’ den (σπήλλαιον λῃστῶν). The scandal is worse than before. For a detailed description see Edersh. L. & T. 1. pp. 364-374; also a remarkable passage in Renan, V. de J. p. 215, in which he points out how “antichristian” the traditions of the temple have always been. In the passage from Isa 56:7 Lk. substitutes ἔσται for κληθήσεται, and with Mt. omits πᾶσιν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν, which one would have expected Lk. to preserve. Would he have omitted this, if he had had Mk., who preserves it, before him? See on 20:17. Comp. μὴ σπήλαιον λῃστῶν ὁ οἶκός μου οὖ ἐπικέκληται τὸ ὄνομά μου ἐπʼ αὐτῷ ἐκεῖ ἐνώπιον ὑμῶν; (Jer 7:11).

That καὶ ἔσται before ὁ οἶκος, and not ἐστιν after προσευχῆς is the right reading is sufficiently attested by א B L R, Arm., orig. But it is very unnatural to take καὶ ἔσται with γέγραπται: “It stands written and shall so.

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

Thieves [ληστων] . See on Mt 26:55; Luk 10:30; Mr 11:17.

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