Luke 7:33

7:33 John the Baptist didn’t spend his time eating bread or drinking wine: John lived an ascetic’s life of self-denial, appropriate to his prophetic role of announcing God’s Kingdom, the coming judgment, and the need for repentance and cleansing.

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

Luk 7:33. Ἄρτον, bread) In the baking of bread, art intervenes: but John used whatever food was thrown in his way altogether unartificial.—καὶ λέγετε, and ye say) See Luk 7:39, where similar bad language was being spoken in the heart of a Pharisee.

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

(33) For John the Baptist came . . .—The substantives “bread” and “wine” are not found in St. Matthew’s report.

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

33. neither eating bread nor drinking wine] “His meat was locusts and wild honey,” Mat_3:4. Being a Nazarite he drank no wine, Luk_1:15; see 2Es_9:24.

He hath a devil] They sneered at him for a moody or melancholy temperament which they attributed to an evil spirit. This in fact was their coarse way of describing any peculiarity or exaltation which struck them as strange. At a later period they said the same of Christ, Joh_7:20; Joh_10:20.

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 behold, a woman in the city,.... Not Mary Magdalene, spoken of in Luk 8:2 under another character; and is a different person, who had not been taken notice of by the evangelist before; nor Mary the sister of Lazarus, who is said to anoint the feet of Christ, and wipe them with her hair, Joh 12:3. The character given of this woman, does not seem so well to agree with her; at least, the fact here recorded, cannot be the same with that; for this was in Galilee, and that in Bethany; this in the house of Simon the Pharisee, that in the house of Lazarus; this was some time before Christ's death, and after this he went a circuit through every city and village, that was but six days before his death, and after which he never went from those parts; nor is this account the same with the history, recorded in Mat 26:6 for that fact was done in Bethany also, this in Galilee; that in the house of Simon: the leper, this in the house of Simon the Pharisee; that was but two days before the death of Christ, this a considerable time before; the ointment that woman poured, was poured upon his head, this upon his feet: who this woman was, is not certain, nor in what city she dwelt; it seems to be the same in which the Pharisee's house was; and was no doubt one of the cities of Galilee, as Naim, Capernaum, or some other at no great distance from these:

which was a sinner; a notorious sinner, one that was known by all to have been a person of a wicked, life and conversation; a lewd woman, a vile prostitute, an harlot, commonly reputed so: the Arabic word here used, signifies both a sinner and a whore (k); and so the word, sinners, seems to be used elsewhere by Luke; see Luk 15:1 compared with Mat 21:31. Some think she was a Gentile, Gentiles being reckoned by the Jews sinners, and the worst of sinners; but this does not appear:

when she knew that Jesus sat at meat in the Pharisee's house; having observed it herself, that he was invited by him, and went with him, or being informed of it by others,

brought an alabaster box of ointment: ointment was used to be put in vessels made of "alabaster", which kept it pure and incorrupt; and this stone was found about Damascus, (l) so that there might be plenty of it in Judea; at least it might be easily had, and such boxes might be common; and as this woman appears to have been a lewd person, she might have this box of ointment by her to anoint herself with, that she might recommend herself to her gallants. The historian (m) reports, that

"Venus gave to Phaon an alabaster box with ointment, with which Phaon, being anointed, became the most beautiful of men, and the women of Mitylene were taken with the love of him.''

If this box had been provided with such a view; it was now used to another and different purpose.

(k) Vid. Castell. Lex. Heptaglott. col. 1195. (l) Plin. Nat. Hist. l. 36. c. 8. (m) Aelian. var. Hist. l. 12. c. 8.

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

32 They are like unto children sitting in the marketplace, and calling one to another, and saying, We have piped unto you, and ye have not danced; we have mourned to you, and ye have not wept.

33 For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine; and ye say, He hath a devil.

Ver. 33. Neither eating bread] But locusts and wild honey.

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.

For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine. Referring to his austere life spent in the desert, apart from the ordinary joys and pleasures of men, not even sharing in what are usually termed the necessities of life. He was, in addition, a perpetual Nazarite, and as such no wine or fermented drink ever passed his lips. And ye say, He hath a devil. Another way for expressing their conviction that the great desert-preacher was insane, and assigning a demoniacal possession as the cause of madness. Not very long after this incident the curtain of death fell on the earthly scene of John"s life. "We fools accounted his life madness, and his end to be without honour: how is he numbered among the children of God, and his lot is among the saints!". (RAPC Wis 5:4, 5) We. may be quite sure that "in the fiery furnace God walked with his servant, so that his spirit was not harmed, and having thus annealed his nature to the utmost that this earth can do, he took him hastily away and placed him among the glorified in heaven" (Irving, quoted by Farrar).

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

eating no bread

Possible meanings are 1) "frequently fasting" or 2) "not eating normal food."

you say, 'He has a demon.'

Jesus was quoting what people were saying about John. This can be stated without the direct quote. AT: "you say that he has a demon." or "you accuse him of having a demon." (See: Direct and Indirect Quotations)

The Son of Man

Jesus expected the people to understand that he was referring to himself. AT: "I, the Son of Man" (See: First, Second, or Third Person)

you say, 'Look, he is a gluttonous man and a drunkard ... sinners!'

This can be translated as an indirect quote. AT: "you say that he is a gluttonous man and a drunkard ... sinners." or "you accuse him of eating and drinking too much and of being ... sinners." (See: Direct and Indirect Quotations)

you say, 'Look, he is a gluttonous man and a drunkard ... sinners!'

If you translated "The Son of Man" as "I, the Son of man," you can state this as an indirect statement and use the first person. AT: "you say that I am a gluttonous man and a drunkard ... sinners." (See: Direct and Indirect Quotations and First, Second, or Third Person)

he is a gluttonous man

"he is a greedy eater" or "he continually eats too much food"

a drunkard

"a drunk" or "he continually drinks too much alcohol"

wisdom is justified by all her children

This appears to be a proverb that Jesus applied to this situation, probably to teach that wise people would understand that the people should not have rejected Jesus and John.

translationWords

John (the Baptist)

bread

wine

demon

Son of Man

drunk

tax

sin

wise

just

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.

33. ἐλήλυθεν. ‘Is come,’ not “came” as in the A.V[161], which would require ἦλθεν.

[161] A.V. Authorised Version.

μήτε ἐσθίων ἄρτον κ.τ.λ. The subjective negative μήτε is used (not οὔτε) to indicate the thoughts suggested in the minds of the observers, and not the mere fact. See note on Luk 4:35. Winer, p. 607. “His meat was locusts and wild honey,” Mat 3:4. Being a Nazarite he drank no wine, Luk 1:15; see 2Es 9:24.

δαιμόνιον ἔχει. They sneered at him for a moody or melancholy temperament, which they attributed to an evil spirit. This in fact was their coarse way of describing any peculiarity or exaltation which struck them as strange. At a later period they said the same of Christ, Joh 7:20; Joh 10:20.

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.

33. μὴ ἔσθων ἄρτον μήτε πίνων οἶνον. “Without eating bread or drinking wine”; spoken from the point of view of those who objected to John. He did not take the ordinary food of mankind; and so Mt. says, “neither eating nor drinking,” For the poetic form ἔσθω see on 10:7. Syr-Sin. omits ἄρτον and οἶνον

Δαιμόνιον ἔχει. They afterwards said the same of Jesus (Joh 7:20, Joh 8:48, Joh 10:20); and δαιμόνιον ἔχεις shows that δαιμόνιον is acc. and not nom. Renan compares the Arabic Medjnoun enté as showing that Orientals consider all madness to be possession by a demon (V. de J. p. 263). See on 4:33. One regrets that the American Revisers did not carry their point in getting “demon” substituted for “devil” as the rendering of δαιμόνιον. Tyn. Cov. and Cran. make great confusion by translating “hath the devil.” Wic. is better with “hath a fende.” The λέγετε in vv. 33 and 34 shows that some of those censured are present. Comp. 11:15, where Jesus is accused of casting out demons with the help of Beelzebub.

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

Bread and wine. Peculiar to Luke.

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