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Luke 5:27

After this, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector named Levi sitting at the tax booth. “Follow Me,” He told him,

BSB

Parallel translations (2) ▾

ASV

And after these things he went forth, and beheld a publican, named Levi, sitting at the place of toll, and said unto him, Follow me.

KJV

And after these things he went forth, and saw a publican, named Levi, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he said unto him, Follow me.

Commentary

2 voices

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Hebraic traditional view

Levi's feast and the old wine

Levi “made him a great feast in his own house,” and the objection came at the guest list: the Pharisaic table discipline meant an observant associate did not eat with the non-observant, whose food might be untithed and whose vessels unclean, and tax collectors stood furthest outside the circle of trust: the Mishnah rules a house unclean if tax collectors have entered it (Taharot 7:6), and even permits declaring untruths to them under duress, classing them with robbers (Nedarim 3:4). The table Jesus chose was a boundary deliberately crossed: “I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” The fuller table-and-fasting background is in this site's Matthew 9 note.

Luke alone keeps the last saying: “No man also having drunk old wine straightway desireth new: for he saith, The old is better.” Spoken at a Jewish table about Jewish devotion, it is a gracious word, not a sneer: Jesus knows exactly why the old ways taste right to those formed by them, even as He announces something new that will not fit the old wineskins.

Sources: Mishnah Taharot 7:6 (tax collectors and the unclean house) · Mishnah Nedarim 3:4 (vows made to tax collectors)

Original language & word study

18 tagged words
OriginalTransliterationMeaningWord study
ΚαὶKaiAndG2532
μετὰmetaafterG3326
ταῦταtautathese thingsG3778
ἐξῆλθενexēlthenHe went forthG1831
καὶkaiandG2532
ἐθεάσατοetheasatoHe sawG2300
τελώνηνtelōnēna tax collectorG5057
ὀνόματιonomatinamedG3686
ΛευὶνLeuinLeviG3017
καθήμενονkathēmenonsittingG2521
ἐπὶepiatG1909
τὸtotheG3588
τελώνιονtelōniontax boothG5058
καὶkaiandG2532
εἶπενeipenHe saidG2036
αὐτῷ·autōto him;G846
ἀκολούθειakoloutheido followG190
μοι.moiMe.G3165

The walk

About Luke

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