Luke 20:26

Luk 20:26 . The reply of Jesus, baffling in itself, was doubly so, because it had made a favourable impression on the people. Therefore the questioners deemed it best to make no attempt at criticism in presence of the people ( ἐναντίον τοῦ λαοῦ ).

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

(26) And they could not take hold of his words.—As St. Luke is fuller in his account of the plot of the questioners (Luk_20:20), so is he in that of its defeat.

They marvelled at his answer.—There is an interesting, though obviously undesigned, parallelism with the narrative of the incident in which the Lord Jesus was first brought face to face with the Rabbis of Jerusalem. Then also “they were astonished at His answers” (Luk_2:47). The childhood was, in this respect, a prophecy of the manhood.

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

26. they marvelled at his answer] Comp. Luk_2:47. They thought that escape was impossible for Him; and yet He instantly shatters their deeply-laid plot to pieces by shewing that they—Pharisees and Herodians alike—had absolutely decided the question already (according to their own rule “He whose coin is current is king of the land”), so that there is no need for Him to give any opinion whatever about it. The point was this,—their national acceptance of Caesar’s coinage was an unanswerable admission of Caesar’s right. Tribute to them was no longer a cheerful offering, but a legal due; not a voluntary gift, but a political necessity. The very word He used was decisive. They had asked “Is it lawful to give (dounai)?” He answers, ‘Give back’ (apodote). By using these coins they all alike admitted that ‘they had no king but Caesar.’ The Christians understood the principle perfectly (1Pe_2:13-14) as the ancient Jews had done (Jer_27:4-8). Yet these hypocrites dared to shout three days afterwards that Jesus ‘had forbidden to give tribute to Caesar!’

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.

There were therefore seven brethren,.... In the place where these Sadducees dwelt; or, however, that were known by them; at least they supposed such a case, and it might be fact:

and the first took a wife, and died without children; son or daughter, and so had none to keep up his name, and to possess his inheritance.

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

We may here be astonished at the incredulity of the chiefs of the Jews, who, though they ought to have admired his wisdom, as something divine, and believed in him, are only surprised that he should have escaped their duplicity and snares. (Ven. Bede) --- Their pride must have been a good deal hurt, to have been thus publicly refuted and confused by the wisdom of our Saviour’s answer. (Theophylactus)

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

They could not take hold of his words before the people - As they did afterward before the sanhedrim, in the absence of the people, chap. xxii, 67.

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

26. θαυμάσαντες. Comp. Luk 2:47. They thought that escape was impossible for Him; and yet He instantly shatters their deeply-laid plot to pieces by shewing that they—Pharisees and Herodians alike—had decided the question already (according to their own rule “He whose coin is current is king of the land”), so that there is no need for Him to give any opinion about it. The point was this,—their national acceptance of Caesar’s coinage was an admission of Caesar’s right. Tribute to them was no longer an offering, but a due; not a voluntary gift, but a political necessity. The very word He used was decisive. They had asked “Is it lawful to give (δοῦναι)?” He answers, ‘Give back’ (ἀπόδοτε). By using these coins they all alike admitted that ‘they had no king but Caesar.’ The Christians understood the principle perfectly (1Pe 2:13-14) as the ancient Jews had done (Jer 27:4-8). Yet these hypocrites dared to shout three days afterwards that Jesus ‘had forbidden to give tribute to Caesar’!

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.

26. οὐκ ἴσχυσαν … ἐναντίον τοῦ λαοῦ . Peculiar to Lk., who drawe special attention to this further victory of Jesus. All three record the wonder of His adversaries.

For the constr. of αὐτοῦ see on ver. 20. This use of ἐναντίον is common in LXX, but in N.T. is found only here, 24:19; Act 7:10, Act 8:32: comp. ἔναντι 1:8, Act 8:21.

For θαυμάζειν ἐπί see on 2:33, and for σιγᾷν see on 18:39.

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

His words [ρηματος] . Singular number. Rev., properly, saying. See on ch. Luk 1:37.

27 - 40. Compare Mt 22:23 - 33; Mr 12:18 - 27.

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