Luke 18:13 BSB — MannaFest

Luke 18:13

But the tax collector stood at a distance, unwilling even to lift up his eyes to heaven. Instead, he beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner!’

BSB

Parallel translations (2) ▾

ASV

But the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote his breast, saying, God, be thou merciful to me a sinner.

KJV

And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.

⋯

Commentary

4 voices

Cyril of Alexandria

COMMENTARY ON LUKE, HOMILY 120 (444)

But what of the publican? He stood, it says, "afar off," not even venturing, so to speak, to raise up his eyes on high. You see him abstaining from all boldness of speech, as having no right thereto, and smitten by the reproaches of conscience: for he was afraid of being even seen by God, as one who had been careless of His laws, and had led an unchaste and dissolute life. You see also that by his external manner, he accuses his own depravity.

The record, by era

The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice

John Wesley

1703–1791

Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament (1755)

The publican standing afar off - From the holy of holies, would not so much as lift up his eyes to heaven - Touched with shame, which is more ingenuous than fear.

The Nineteenth Century4 voices

Albert Barnes

1798–1870

Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)

Standing afar off - Afar off from the “temple.” The place where prayer was offered in the temple was the court of women. The Pharisee advanced to the side of the court nearest to the temple, or near as he could; the publican stood on the other side of the same court if he was a Jew, or in the court of the Gentiles if he was a pagan, as far as possible from the temple, being conscious of his unworthiness to approach the sacred place where God had his holy habitation.

Charles Spurgeon

1834–1892

(1887)

Voices on this verse

loading…

Original language & word study

26 tagged words

Original	Transliteration	Meaning	Word study
Ὁ	Ho	<the>	G3588 →
δὲ	de	but	G1161 →
τελώνης	telōnēs	the tax collector	G5057 →
μακρόθεν	makrothen	afar off	G3113 →
ἑστὼς	hestōs	having stood	G2476 →
οὐκ	ouk	not	G3756 →
ἤθελεν	ēthelen	was willing	G2309 →
οὐδὲ	oude	not even	G3761 →
τοὺς	tous	the	G3588 →
ὀφθαλμοὺς	ophthalmous	eyes	G3788 →
ἐπᾶραι	eparai	to lift up	G1869 →
εἰς	eis	to	G1519 →
τὸν	ton	<the>	G3588 →
οὐρανόν,	ouranon	heaven	G3772 →
ἀλλ᾽	all᾽	but	G235 →
ἔτυπτεν	etupten	was striking	G5180 →
τὸ	to	the	G3588 →
στῆθος	stēthos	breast	G4738 →
αὐτοῦ	autou	of him	G846 →
λέγων·	legōn	saying:	G3004 →
ὁ	ho	O	G3588 →
θεός,	theos	God,	G2316 →
ἱλάσθητί	hilasthēti	do be merciful	G2433 →
μοι	moi	to me	G3165 →
τῷ	tō	to the	G3588 →
ἁμαρτωλῷ.	hamartōlō	sinner!	G268 →

Rare words are the text's own signal of a deliberate thread: the fewer the occurrences, the more the places it appears belong together.

The walk

The walk8

Where the connections lead

Follow this verse’s cross-references two steps out. Each card is a verse this one points to, and beneath it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several different paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it. Every stop shows its own words, and every stop is a page.

Through
1 Timothy 1:15
This is a trustworthy saying, worthy of full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the worst.
leads to
- Mark 2:17
  On hearing this, Jesus told them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
- Luke 19:10
  For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
- John 3:16–17
  For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that everyone who believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.
- John 12:47
  As for anyone who hears My words and does not keep them, I do not judge him. For I have not come to judge the world, but to save the world.
- John 1:12
  But to all who did receive Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God—
Through
Psalms 41:4
I said, “O LORD, be gracious to me; heal me, for I have sinned against You.”
leads to
- Psalms 103:3
  He who forgives all your iniquities and heals all your diseases,
Through
Hebrews 8:12
For I will forgive their iniquities and will remember their sins no more.”
leads to
- Isaiah 43:25
  I, yes I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake and remembers your sins no more.
- Hebrews 10:16–17
  “This is the covenant I will make with them after those days, declares the Lord. I will put My laws in their hearts and inscribe them on their minds.”

About Luke

The Return of the Prodigal Son — Gustave Doré (engraving, public domain)

Luke: the study guide →Read chapter 18 →The featured study →

Forgiveness
the tax collector's only plea — mercy for a sinner — is the one that leaves him justified
Mercy
The tax collector's 'God be merciful to me a sinner' — not religious credentials — is the prayer Jesus says is…

Continue: Luke 18 →

01Commentary

The record, by era

Voices on this verse

02Original language & word study

03The walk

Where the connections lead

04Related verses

06About Luke

The record, by era

Where the connections lead

Commentary

Original language & word study

The walk

Related verses

About Luke