Luke 23:7

Luk 23:7. Ἀνέπεμψεν) He sent Him back (referred Him) as to His proper prince. Comp. v.11 (ἀνέπεμψεν, said of Herod sending Him back to Pilate); or else the force of the ἀνὰ is, “He sent Him up” to the higher part of the city.

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

Luk 23:7 . ἀνέπεμψεν , remitted Him = remisit , sent Him to, not the higher (Meyer), but the proper tribunal: a Galilean, to the tetrarch of Galilee; a technical term. ἐν Ἱεροσ . Herod would be in Jerusalem to keep the Passover, though that is not stated.

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

This was Herod Antipas the Tetrarch, in the time of whose governance, which was almost the space of 22 years, John the Baptist preached and was put to death, and Jesus Christ also died and rose again, and the Apostles began to preach, and divers things were done at Jerusalem almost seven years after Christ’s death. This Herod was sent into banishment to Lyons, about the second year of Gaius Caesar.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

Verse 7. Herod's jurisdiction] The city of Nazareth, in which Christ had continued till he was thirty years of age, and that of Capernaum, in which he principally resided the last years of his life, were both in Lower Galilee, of which Herod Antipas was tetrarch. Pilate was probably glad of this opportunity to pay a little respect to Herod, whom it is likely he had irritated, and with whom he now wished to be friends. See Lu 23:12.

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

(7) Unto Herod’s jurisdiction.—The word is the same as that commonly translated “authority,” but the English exactly expresses its meaning here.

Who himself also was at Jerusalem.—It was, of course, no strange thing that the Tetrarch of Galilee, professing Judaism, should come up to keep the Passover in the Holy City. And it is clear that he kept a kind of court there, had his so-called Herodian Rabbis with him (see Notes on Mar_3:6; Mar_12:13), and was attended by his troops (Luk_23:11). Up to this time he had remained in sullen seclusion, and no visits of courtesy had been exchanged between him and Pilate.

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

7. he sent him to Herod] The word used is technical—anepempsen, the Lat. remisit—and means the remission of a question to a higher court (Act_25:1; comp. Phm_1:11; Jos. B. f. II. 20, § 5). St Luke alone preserves this interesting incident. He seems to have had special in ormation about Herod’s court. Pilate’s object may have been (1) to get rid of the responsibility—or at least to divide it—by ascertaining Herod’s opinion; (2) to do a cheap act of courtesy which might soothe the irritation which Herod, as well as the Jews, felt against him. Vespasian paid a similar compliment to Agrippa. Jos. B. J. iii. 10, § 10.

who himself also was at Jerusalem] “also,” i.e. as well as Pilate. Herod lived at Tiberias, and Pilate at Caesarea. During the immense assemblages of the Jewish feasts the two rulers had come to Jerusalem, Pilate to maintain order, Herod to gain popularity among his subjects by a decent semblance of conformity to the national religion. At Jerusalem Herod occupied the old palace of the Asmonaean princes (Jos. B. J. ii. 16; Antt. xx. 8, § 11).

at that time] Rather, in those days (of the Feast).

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 as soon as he knew that he belonged unto Herod's jurisdiction,.... The country which was under his power, and he had the government of; for Herod was tetrarch of Galilee, Luk 3:1. This was Herod Antipas, the son of Herod the great, and the same that beheaded John the Baptist; wherefore as soon as Pilate found that Jesus was one of his province, immediately he sent him to Herod: to be examined, and to have his cause tried before him: and this he did partly, that he might be rid of this troublesome business; and partly that he might show to Herod what a regard he had to his jurisdiction, and power; and that he was unwilling to break in upon it, or usurp that to himself, which did not belong to him: the way from Pilate's hall, to the place where Herod was, is computed, by Adrichomius, to be about three hundred and fifty steps:

who himself was also at Jerusalem at that time; or "in those days"; the days of the passover; for Herod being born a Jew, and the son of a proselyte, was come to Jerusalem, at this time, to keep the feast of the passover.

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

7 And as soon as he knew that he belonged unto Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent him to Herod, who himself also was at Jerusalem at that time.

Ver. 7. He sent him] So seeking to ingratiate with Herod.

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.

Herod’s jurisdiction - Herod Antipas, a son of Herod the Great. This was the same Herod that put John the Baptist to death. Jesus had passed the most of his life in the part of the country where he ruled, and it was, therefore, considered that he belonged to his jurisdiction - that is, that it belonged to Herod, not to Pilate, to try this cause.

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

He sent him away to Herod. Pilate, in this instance, not only extricated himself from the importunities of the Jewish priests, (ver. 5) but moreover obeyed the Roman law in that particular, which forbade any one to be condemned by a governor to whom he was not the subject. (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).

He sent him to Herod - As his proper judge.

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

Herod

See margin ref., (See Scofield "Mat 14:1"). Also Luk 23:8; Luk 23:11; Luk 23:12; Luk 23:15; Luk 3:1

The Scofield Reference Bible (1917 edition), notes by C. I. Scofield — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

7. ἀνέπεμψεν. The word used is technical—the Lat. remisit—and means the remission of a question to a higher court (Act 25:21; comp. Phm 1:11; Jos. B. J. II. 20, § 5). St Luke alone preserves this interesting incident. He seems to have had special information about Herod’s court. Pilate’s object may have been (1) to get rid of the responsibility—or at least to divide it—by ascertaining Herod’s opinion; (2) to do a cheap act of courtesy which might soothe the irritation which Herod, as well as the Jews, felt against him. Vespasian paid a similar compliment to Agrippa. Jos. B. J. III. 10, § 10.

ὄντα καὶ αὐτόν. ‘Also,’ i.e. as well as Pilate. Herod lived at Tiberias, and Pilate at Caesarea. During the immense assemblages of the Jewish feasts the two rulers had come to Jerusalem, Pilate to maintain order, Herod to gain popularity among his subjects by a decent semblance of conformity to the national religion. At Jerusalem Herod occupied the old palace of the Asmonaean princes (Jos. B. J. II. 16; Antt. XX. 8, § 11).

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.

7. ἀνέπεμψεν] “Propriam Romani juris vocem usurpavit. Nam remittitur reus qui alicubi comprehensus mittitur ad judicem aut originis aut habitationis. Itaque Pilatus Herodi, ut Tetrarchæ ejus loci unde esse Jesus dicebatur, potestatem permisit Jesum abducendi in Galilæam, ibique, si vellet, cognoscendi de ejus causa: ut fieri inter Romanos provinciarum rectores solebat.” Grotius. So Vespasian, in judging the inhabitants of Tarichææ (Jos. B. J. iii. 10. 10), allowed Agrippa to dispose of those ἐκ τῆς ἑαυτοῦ βασιλείας.

8,

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

7. ἐπιγνούς. Freq. in Lk. in the sense of “thoroughly ascertain” 7:37; Act 19:34, Act 22:29, Act 24:11, Act 28:1, etc.

ἀνέπεμψεν αὐτόν. The verb may be used in the legal sense of “sending up” to a higher authority or “referring” to another jurisdiction, like remitto, which Vulg. has here and vv. 11, 15: comp. Act 25:21; Jos. B. J. ii. 20, 5; Philo, De Creat. Prin. 8. But in vv. 11, 15 the meaning “send back” is more suitable, and may be retained here: comp. Phm 1:12. If Jesus originally belonged to Herod’s jurisdiction, sending Him to Herod was, sending Him back; just as the man born blind is said to recover his sight (ἀναβλέπειν), because sight is natural to man (Joh 9:15, Joh 9:18). It was perhaps chiefly in order to get rid of a difficult case, or to obtain official evidence from the tetrarch, that Pilate sent Jesus, rather than merely to conciliate Antipas. Justin says that Pilate χαριζόμενος δεδεμένον τὸν Ἰησοῦν ἔπεμψε45̀ (Try. 103.); and comp. Vespasian allowing Agrippa to have the prisoners who came from the latter’s kingdom (Jos. B. J. iii. 10. 10). Herod had come up to keep the feast, and probably occupied the palace of the Asamonæans (B. J. ii. 16, 3; Ant. xx. 8, 11).

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

Sent [ανεπεμψεν] . Lit., sent him up [ανα] . Used of sending up to a higher court. Compare Act 25:21, of sending Paul to Caesar. It also means to send back, as in ver. 11, and Phl 1:11.

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