Luke 22:38

22:38 That’s enough: The disciples’ two swords were probably not enough to defend the whole group, and Jesus elsewhere rejected violence (22:49-51 // Matt 26:52). Jesus might have meant that two swords were sufficient to fulfill Isa 53:12. Or perhaps he meant, “Enough of this foolish talk—you are misunderstanding me.”

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

Luk 22:38. Ὧδε, here) They had found in the room where they had supped, or else had brought with them, the two swords: see Luk 22:49. [For previously they had not been girt with swords; otherwise the Lord would have interdicted the use of them, when the disciples were being prepared for their embassy, Luk 22:35.—V. g.]—δύο, two) Comp. Joh 6:9[243]—ἱκανόν ἐστι, it is enough) i.e. There is no need of more than two swords. Jesus uttered so brief a reply as this, in order that the disciples might be able sufficiently to understand His mind (intention and meaning in what He said) as to buying a sword, Luk 22:36. Comp. Joh 14:30.[244] [245] not dissimilar phrase occurs, 1Ma 2:33, ἓως τοῦ νο͂ν ἱκανόν· ἐξέλθετε; Deu 3:26, ἱκανούσθω σοί.

[243] The “two small fishes;” expressing the same disproportion, as here, between the means, and the effects produced, when God’s blessing is vouchsafed.—E. and T.

[244] ‘Hereafter I will not talk much with you, for the prince of this world cometh,” etc. This accounts for the brevity of His reply.—E. and T.

[245] the Alexandrine MS.: in Brit. Museum: fifth century: publ. by Woide, 1786–1819: O. and N. Test. defective.

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

Luk 22:38 . μάχαιραι δύο : how did such a peaceable company come to have even so much as one sword? Were the two weapons really swords, fighting instruments, or large knives? The latter suggestion, made by Chrysostom and adopted by Euthym., is called “curious” by Alford, but regarded by Field ( Ot. Nor. ) as “probable”. ἱκανόν , enough! i.e. , for one who did not mean to fight. It is a pregnant word = “for the end I have in view more than enough; but also enough of misunderstanding, disenchantment, speech, teaching, and life generally,” Holtzmann, H. C.

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

two swords . . . enough--they thinking He referred to present defense, while His answer showed He meant something else.

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 38. Lord, behold, here are two swords. And he said unto them, It is enough.] These words cannot be well understood as being an answer to the supposed command of Christ, for every one who had no sword to go and sell his garment and buy one; for, in this case, they were not enough, or sufficient, as nine of the disciples must be without any instrument of defence; but they may be understood as pointing out the readiness and determination of Peter, and perhaps some others, to defend our Lord: Thou shalt not be treated as a transgressor; here are two swords, and we will fight for thee. In Lu 22:33, Peter had said, he was ready to go with Christ either to prison or death; which showed his strong resolution to stand by and defend his Master, even at the expense of his life. But, alas, he depended too much on himself!

It is enough. The meaning probably is, there is enough said on the subject; as immediately after this he entered into his agony.

I must here confess that the matter about the swords appear to me very obscure. I am afraid I do not understand it, and I know of none who does. Schoettgen and Lightfoot have said much on the subject; others have endeavoured to get rid of the difficulty by translating μαχαιραν a knife, which was necessary on long journeys for providing forage and fuel; as they were to depend wholly on their own industry, under God, for all the necessaries of life, while going through the nations of the earth, preaching the Gospel to Jews and Gentiles. I cannot say which sense the reader should prefer.

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

(38) Behold, here are two swords.—Peter, we find, had one (Joh_18:10); we can only conjecture who had the other. Possibly, Andrew; possibly, one of “the sons of thunder.”

It is enough.—Here again there is a touch of grave irony. The “two swords” were enough, and more than enough, for Him who did not mean them to use the swords at all. The word for “enough” may be noted as used far more often by St. Luke than in the other Gospels. The mystical interpretation which sees in the two swords the symbol of the spiritual and temporal authority committed to St. Peter, and to the Pope as his successor, stands on a level with that which finds the relations of the Church and the State foreshadowed in the “two great lights” of Gen_1:16. Both are simply the dreams of a diseased fancy, and find their fit home at last in the limbo of vanities.

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

38. here are two swords] It was a last instance of the stolid literalism by which they had so often vexed our Lord (Mat_16:6-12). As though He could have been thinking of two miserable swords, such as poor Galilaean pilgrims took to defend themselves from wild beasts or robbers; and as though two would be of any use against a world in arms ! It is strange that St Chrysostom should suppose ‘knives’ to be intended. This was the verse quoted by Boniface VIII., in his famous Bull Unam sanctam, to prove his possession of both secular and spiritual power !

And he said unto them, It is enough] Not of course meaning that two swords were enough, but sadly declining to enter into the matter any further, and leaving them to meditate on His words. The formula was one sometimes used to waive a subject; comp. 1Ma_2:33. See p. 384. “It is a sigh of the God-man over all violent measures meant to further His cause.”

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 he came out,.... That is, "Christ", as the Persic version; or the "Lord Jesus", as the Ethiopic version expresses; he came out of the guestchamber, or upper room, and out of the house where he had been keeping the passover with his disciples; and he came out of the city of Jerusalem, to begin his sorrows and sufferings without the camp, where he was to end them:

and went, as he was wont, to the Mount of Olives. This had been his practice and custom for several nights past, as appears from Luk 21:37. Hence Judas knew the place he now went to, and could direct the soldiers and officers where to go, and apprehend him; and this shows the willingness of Christ to be taken, in order to suffer and die; otherwise he would have gone to another place, and not this. The Ethiopic version adds, "to pray", as he did; and, as very likely he was used; for he would sometimes continue a whole night in prayer on a mountain; see Luk 6:12

and his disciples also followed him; eleven of them, for Judas was now gone to the chief priests to inform them where Christ was going, that they might seize him: but the other disciples followed him, which was so ordered, that they might be witnesses of his sorrows and agonies in the garden, and of his being betrayed by Judas, and apprehended by the Jews; though upon this they forsook him and fled.

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

38 And they said, Lord, behold, here are two swords. And he said unto them, It is enough.

Ver. 38. It is enough] q.d. You speak absurdly: I mean not such kind of swords; let me hear no more of them.

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.

Are two swords - The Galileans, it is said, often went armed. The Essenes did so also. The reason was that the country was full of robbers and wild beasts, and it was necessary to carry, in their travels, some means of defense. It seems that the disciples followed the customs of the country, and had with them some means of defense, though they had but two swords among the twelve.

It is enough - It is difficult to understand this. Some suppose that it is spoken “ironically;” as if he had said, “You are bravely armed indeed, with two swords among twelve men, and to meet such a host!” Others, that he meant to reprove them for understanding him “literally,” as if he meant that they were then to procure swords for “immediate” battle. As if he had said, “This is absurd, or a perversion of my meaning. I did not intend this, but merely to foretell you of impending dangers after my death.” It is to be observed that he did not say “the two swords are enough,” but “it is enough;” perhaps meaning simply, enough has been said. Other matters press on, and you will yet understand what I mean.

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

Behold here are two swords, &c. The disciples not understanding the hidden meaning of the words in the preceding verse, and thinking they should have need of swords against the attack of the traitor Judas, say, behold here two swords. (St. Cyril) --- But if he had wished them to rely upon human aid, not even a hundred swords would have sufficed; but, if the power of man was unnecessary in their regard, even two swords are sufficient, and more than are wanted. (St. John Chrysostom) --- Even two swords are sufficient testimony of our Saviour’s having suffered spontaneously. One to shew that the apostles had courage to contend for their Master, and that their Lord had the power of healing the servant, Malchus, who was maimed; the other, which was not drawn from its scabbard, shews that the apostles were withheld from doing in his defence as much as they could have done. (Ven. Bede)

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).

38. They said, Lord… two swords—At the mention of a sword some of the disciples, taking him literally, bring him forth double his demand, two swords! It is enough—To illustrate my metaphor, quite enough; and too much, if it is real bloodshed you contemplate. The words gently rebuke the apostles’ mistake. They had these swords evidently concealed from our Lord. They may have provided them for defence against assailants, as even the priests did in the passage (Luk_10:31) from Jericho to Jerusalem. But they may have been knives for slaying the Passover lamb. See note on Mat_26:51.

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

And they said, Lord, behold, here are two swords. And he said unto them, It is enough. As so often, the disciples took their Master"s words with curious literalness, and, as a reply, produced two swords, as if these two poor weapons could help them in the coming times of sore need. If they were to stand firm in the long trial-season which lay before them, they must surely provide themselves with very different weapons to these; their arms in the campaign of the future must be forged in no earthly workshop. But our Lord sadly declined then to enter into further explanation. His meaning would be all clear to them soon, so he closed the dialogue with the words, "It is enough." This verse was curiously perverted in the famous Bull of Pope Boniface VIII, "Unam sanctam," to prove his possession of both secular and spiritual power: "Dicentibus apostolis, ecce gladii duo, in Ecclesia scilicet, quum apostoli loquereutur, non respondit Dominus nimis esse, sed satis... Uterque ergo in potestate est Ecclesiae, spiritualis scilicet gladius et materialis."

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

Here are two swords - Many of Galilee carried them when they travelled, to defend themselves against robbers and assassins, who much infested their roads. But did the apostles need to seek such defense? And he said; It is enough - I did not mean literally, that every one of you must have a sword.

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

38. Here are two swords. How they come to be in their possession is not told. It is enough. This is a dismissal of the subject, not a warrant for their use. That was rebuked when Peter resorted to one (Matt. 26:52–54).

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.

38. μάχαιραι … δύο. It was a last instance of the stolid literalism by which they had so often vexed our Lord (Mat 16:6-12). As though He could have been thinking of two miserable swords, such as poor Galilaean pilgrims took to defend themselves from wild beasts or robbers; and as though two would be of any use against a world in arms! It is strange that St Chrysostom should suppose ‘knives’ to be intended. This was the verse quoted by Boniface VIII., in his famous Bull Unam sanctam, to prove his possession of both secular and spiritual power, which Calvin rightly calls protervum ludibrium.

ἱκανόν ἐστιν. Not of course meaning that two swords were enough, but sadly declining to enter into the matter any further, and leaving them to meditate on His words. The formula was one sometimes used to waive a subject; comp. 1Ma 2:33, and ἱκανούσθω ὑμῖν, Deu 3:26. See p. 384. “It is a sigh of the God-man over all violent measures meant to further His cause.”

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.

38.] Two of them were armed,—either from excess of zeal to defend Him, excited by His announcement of His sufferings during this feast,—or perhaps because they had brought their weapons from Galilee as protection by the way. The road from Jericho to Jerusalem (see ch. 10:30) was much infested with robbers;—and it was the custom for the priests, and even the quiet and ascetic Essenes, to carry weapons when travelling. Chrysostom (Hom. in Matt. lxxxiv. vol. vii. p. 797) gives a curious explanation of the two swords: εἰκὸς οὖν καὶ μαχαίρας εἶναι ἐκεῖ διὰ τὸ ἀρνίον. This certainly agrees with the number of the disciples sent to get ready the Passover: but it has nothing else to recommend it. They exhibit their swords, misunderstanding His words and supposing them to apply to that night. Our Lord breaks off the matter with ἱκανόν ἐστιν,—‘It is enough;’ not ‘they are sufficient;’—but, It is well,—we are sufficiently provided—‘it was not to this that My words referred.’ The rebuke is parallel with, though milder than, the one in Mar 8:17,—as the misunderstanding was somewhat similar.

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

38. μάαιραι. Chrysostom has supposed that these were two knives, prepared for the slaughtering (ver. 8) or carving of the paschal lamb. In itself this is not improbable: but nowhere else in N.T. does μάχαιρα mean a knife. Assuming that swords are meant, these weapons may have been provided against robbers on the journey to Jerusalem, or against attack in the city. Peter had one of them, and may have been the speaker here. It is one more instance of the Apostles’ want of insight, and of the Evangelistbs candour: comp. Mar 8:17. Schleiermacher points out that the obscurity of the passage is evidence of its genuineiess and originality (p. 299, Eng. tr.).

Ἱκανόν ἐστιν. Satis est (c ff2 q Vulg.), sat est (a i), sufficit (b d f l r), which law perhaps represents ἀρκεῖ (D). The reply is probably the equivalent for a Hebrew formula for dismissing the subject (Deu 3:26), not with impatience, but with satiety or sorrow. Comp. ἕως τοῦ νῦν [ἱκανόν] (1 Mac. 2:33). But even if it means that two swords are a sufficient quantity (“They are enough for you,” SyrSin.), it intimates that the subject is dismissed. Bede is hardly right in his view: duo gladii sufficiunt ad testimonium sponte passi salvatoris, i.e. to prove that he could have resisted. had He pleased. If the words apply to the swords, they are spoken with a sad irony (μονουχὶ διαγελᾷ, Cyril Alex.). as meaning, not that the two weapons will be sufficient for the protection of the company, but that none at all are required: they have grievously misunderstood Him.1 Es gilt nith: mehr mit dem leiblichen Schwerdt fechten, sondern as gilt hinfort leiden um des Evangelii willen und Kreuz tragen: denn man kann wider den Teufel nicht mit Eisten fechten; darum ist Noth Alles dran zu setzen, und nur das geistliche Schwerdt, das Wort Gottes, zu fassen (Luth.).

22:39-23:49. The Passion. In this part of the narrative of the Passion proper, i.e. from the Agony to the Death, the particulars which are wholly or mainly peculiar to Lk. are 22:51, 23:6-12, 27-32 [34]. 40-43, 46: and these particulars are among the most precious details in the history of the Passion.

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