Luke 24:37

Luk 24:37 . πνεῦμα , a spirit, i.e. , a form recognisable as that of Jesus, but of Jesus not risen but come from the world of the dead disembodied or only with an apparent body; therefore they were terrified at the sight, notwithstanding what they had heard.

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

a spirit--the ghost of their dead Lord, but not Himself in the body (Act 12:15; Mat 14:26).

thoughts--rather, "reasonings"; that is, whether He were risen or no, and whether this was His very self.

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 37. And supposed that they had seen a spirit.] But if there be no such thing as a disembodied spirit, would not our Lord have shown them their error? Instead of this, he confirms them in their opinion, by saying, A spirit hath not flesh and bones as you see me have, Lu 24:39; therefore he says, handle me and see me. They probably imagined that it was the soul only of our blessed Lord which they saw; but they were soon fully convinced of the identity of his person, and the reality of his resurrection; for,

1. They saw his body.

2. They heard him speak.

3. They handled him.

4. They saw him eat a piece of broiled fish and honeycomb, which they gave him.

In these things it was impossible for them to have been deceived.

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

(37) Supposed that they had seen a spirit.—More accurately, supposed that they were looking on . . . For the use of the word “spirit “in this sense, see Act_23:8-9; Heb_12:23.

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

37. terrified] Literally, “scared”

that they had seen a spirit] Rather, that they were gazing on a spirit. See on Luk_24:16.

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.

Behold my hands, and my feet,.... The Evangelist John adds, "and side"; that is, the prints of the nails and spear, in his hands, and feet, and side; and the wounds they made there, and the scars they left behind; by which they might be convinced he was not a spirit, and be assured of the truth of his resurrection, and that in the same numerical body in which he suffered; as well as that it might be observed by them how great was his love to them, to endure what he did for them.

Handle me and see; or know by feeling, as well as by sight; so that if the one was not sufficient, the other might confirm; sight might be deceived, but feeling could not: Apollonius Tyaneus, to them that did not know whether he was alive or dead, and who took him for a spirit, proposed himself to be touched, and handled, that they might be convinced (z):

for a spirit hath not flesh and bones; nothing but appearance, or air at most; no solid substance to be felt and handled:

as ye see me have; or may perceive, both by sight and feeling.

(z) Philostratus de Vita Apollon. l. 8, c. 5.

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

37 But they were terrified and affrighted, and supposed that they had seen a spirit.

Ver. 37. But they were terrified and affrighted] Tam meticulosa est incredulitas. Ut etiam tutissima et maxime tranquilla timeat, saith Brentius here.

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 apostles thought they saw a Spirit, either good or bad, that had taken the form of Jesus, and was come to deceive them. For that they did not doubt spirits appeared, we have abundant proofs throughout the whole New Testament: and our Saviour, instead of combating this opinion, seems rather to have confirmed it on more than one occasion. Indeed St. Augustine thinks it cannot, without temerity, be denied, that there are occasional apparitions of angels, of demons, and the souls of the dead. (Calmet) --- This, however, will not justify the credulity of many ignorant and weak people, who think that nobody can die, but their spirit is sure to appear; much less will it justify the superstitious observations of unusual occurrences, which are so commonly reported to happen, as significant of a departed soul. These occurrences are rare; nor should we suppose that the Almighty would be willing to suspend or change the established laws of nature without a sufficient cause, viz. some known good either to the departed soul, or surviving friends. (Haydock)

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).

Spirits sometimes (by God’s permission or direction) assumed human shapes. They seeing a human shape, and not able on the sudden to conceive how a human body should come into the midst among them, without any more noise or notice taken of it, were affrighted, as we usually are at the sight of apprehended apparitions. From hence we may conclude, that either the world, and the best men in it, have been in all ages deceived, and a few atheists have been wiser than them all, or there are such beings as spirits.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

But they were terrified and affrighted. They spoke one to another of the Master; they discussed the empty sepulchre, the angelic vision, the recital by Peter of his interview with the Risen, and were listening to the details of the quiet Emmaus meeting, all hoping for something more; but this sudden, mysterious appearance of their crucified Master in their midst was not, after all, what they had looked for. It terrified them. And supposed that they had seen a spirit. How else could they explain his presence in their midst, when the doors were shut? The evangelists make no attempt to explain his sudden appearance. He was simply there as they spoke of him. It is clear that his presence could be accounted for in no ordinary, natural way. His disciples felt that; hence their supposition that they were looking on a spirit. We can, with our present limited knowledge, form no adequate conception of this resurrection-body of the Lord. It was a reality, no phantasm or appearance; of that the scene about to be described gives us ample evidence. Still, it is clear that his resurrection-body was not bound by the present conditions of material existence of which we are conscious. Epiphanius ascribes to the body of the risen Lord leptothv pneumatikh , "a spiritual subtilty," Euthymius uses similar language when he speaks of "his body being now subtile, thin, and unmixed." He could come into a closed, barred room. He could be visible or invisible, known or unknown, as he pleased and when he pleased.

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

37. πτοηθέντες. Literally, ‘being scared.’

πνεῦμα θεωρεῖν. ‘That they were gazing on a spirit.’ See Luk 24:16.

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.

37.] On account of His sudden appearance, and the likeness to one whom they knew to have been dead.

πνεῦμα is a ghost or spectre—an appearance of the dead to the living; not exactly as φάντασμα, Mat 14:26, which might have been any appearance of a supernatural kind.

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

37. πτοηθέντες δέ. There is some confusion of text here. This is the reading of A L R C Γ Δ etc. supported by conturbatique (b ff2), turbati autem (c e), et conturbati (1), conturbati vero (f Vulg.). But D has αὐτοὶ δὲ πτοηθεχντες, ipsi autem paverunt (d), א φοβηθέντες δέ, exterriti autem (a), and B θροηθέντες. The last may possibly right. Syr-Sin. has “shaken” both here and for τεταραγμένοι in ver. 38.

πνεῦμα. “The disembodied spirit of a dead person, a ghost.” Comp. φάντασμα (Mat 14:26), which D has here. Thomas would explain away their evidence by maintaining that this first impression respecting what they saw was the right one. For ἔμφοβοι γενὀμενοι see on ver. 5; and for this use of πνεῦμα comp. 1Pe 3:19. To introduce the notion of an evil spirit is altogether out of place.

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