è·¯åŠ ç¦éŸ³ 3:14

Chinese NCV (Simplified)

兵丁也問他：“至於我們，我們又應當作甚麼呢？”他說：“不要恐嚇，不要敲詐，當以自己的糧餉為滿足。”

Parallel Translations

Chinese Union (Simplified)
又 有 兵 丁 问 他 说 ： 我 们 当 作 甚 麽 呢 ？ 约 翰 说 ： 不 要 以 强 暴 待 人 ， 也 不 要 讹 诈 人 ， 自 己 有 钱 粮 就 当 知 足 。

Contextual Overview

¹ It was the fifteenth year of the rule of Tiberius Caesar. These men were under Caesar: Pontius Pilate, the ruler of Judea; Herod, the ruler of Galilee; Philip, Herod's brother, the ruler of Iturea and Traconitis; and Lysanias, the ruler of Abilene. ² Annas and Caiaphas were the high priests. At this time, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the desert. ³ He went all over the area around the Jordan River preaching a baptism of changed hearts and lives for the forgiveness of sins. ⁴ As it is written in the book of Isaiah the prophet: "This is a voice of one who calls out in the desert: ‘Prepare the way for the Lord. Make the road straight for him. ⁵ Every valley should be filled in, and every mountain and hill should be made flat. Roads with turns should be made straight, and rough roads should be made smooth. ⁶ And all people will know about the salvation of God!'" Isaiah 40:3–5 ⁷ To the crowds of people who came to be baptized by John, he said, "You are all snakes! Who warned you to run away from God's coming punishment? ⁸ Do the things that show you really have changed your hearts and lives. Don't begin to say to yourselves, ‘Abraham is our father.' I tell you that God could make children for Abraham from these rocks. ⁹ The ax is now ready to cut down the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire." ¹⁰ The people asked John, "Then what should we do?"

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

the soldiers: Matthew 8:5, Acts 10:7

Do violence to no man: or, Put no man in fear, Romans 13:9, Romans 13:10, Philippians 2:15

accuse: Luke 19:8, Exodus 20:16, Exodus 23:1, Leviticus 19:11, Titus 2:3, Revelation 12:10

and be: Philippians 4:11, 1 Timothy 6:8-10, Hebrews 13:5, Hebrews 13:6

wages: or, allowance

Reciprocal: Exodus 20:15 - General Exodus 23:7 - far from Leviticus 25:14 - General Deuteronomy 23:9 - General Deuteronomy 24:17 - pervert 1 Samuel 25:7 - we hurt Nehemiah 5:10 - I likewise Ezekiel 45:9 - remove 1 Timothy 6:6 - contentment

Cross-References

Genesis 3:1
Now the snake was the most clever of all the wild animals the Lord God had made. One day the snake said to the woman, "Did God really say that you must not eat fruit from any tree in the garden?"

Genesis 3:15
I will make you and the woman enemies to each other. Your descendants and her descendants will be enemies. One of her descendants will crush your head, and you will bite his heel."

Genesis 3:20
The man named his wife Eve, because she was the mother of all the living.

Genesis 9:6
"Whoever kills a human being will be killed by a human being, because God made humans in his own image.

Leviticus 20:25
So you must treat clean animals and birds differently from unclean animals and birds. Do not make yourselves unclean by any of these unclean birds or animals or things that crawl on the ground, which I have made unclean for you.

Psalms 72:9
Let the people of the desert bow down to him, and make his enemies lick the dust.

Isaiah 29:4
You will be pulled down and will speak from the ground; I will hear your voice rising from the ground. It will sound like the voice of a ghost; your words will come like a whisper from the dirt.

Isaiah 65:25
Wolves and lambs will eat together in peace. Lions will eat hay like oxen, and a snake on the ground will not hurt anyone. They will not hurt or destroy each other on all my holy mountain," says the Lord .

Micah 7:17
They will crawl in the dust like a snake, like insects crawling on the ground. They will come trembling from their holes to the Lord our God and will turn in fear before you.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And the soldiers likewise demanded of him,.... Or "asked him": why our translators have rendered it, "demanded of him", I know not, unless they thought that such language best suited persons of a military character. Some think these were Gentile soldiers, since it does not look so likely that the Romans would employ Jews as soldiers in their own country; though it is more probable that they were Jews, in the pay of the Romans, who belonged to Herod, tetrarch of Galilee, or to Philip of Ituraea, whose dominions lay near the place where John was: since it is certain, that there were many of the Jews that betook themselves to a military life; and seeing John instructed them in no part of natural or revealed religion, but what was suitable to their character and employment: for upon these men saying,

what shall we do? to avoid the threatened ruin, and to prove the truth of our repentance, that so we may be admitted to the holy ordinance of baptism; John replied,

do violence to no man; or "shake" him, or put him, into bodily fear, by threatening, hectoring, and bullying him, and drawing the sword upon him, which is usual, upon the least offence, for such persons to do;

neither accuse any falsely, or play the sycophant; who, in order to flatter some, bring malicious accusations against others; and which was a vice that too much prevailed among the Jewish soldiery; who either to curry favour with the Roman officers and governors, would wrongfully accuse their fellow soldiers, or country men, to them; or in order to extort sums of money from them, that they might live in a more luxurious manner than their common pay would admit of: wherefore, it follows,

and be content with your wages; allowed by the government, and do not seek to increase them by any unlawful methods, as by mutiny and sedition, by rebelling against your officers, or by ill usage of the people. The Jewish Rabbins have adopted this word, אפסניא, into their language in the Misnic and Talmudic writings w: and their gloss explains it by the money, for the soldiers, and the hire of soldiers, as here; and it includes every thing which by the Romans were given to their soldiers for pay, and which was food as well as money.

w Misn. Sanhedrin, c. 2. sect. 4. T. Bab. Sanhedrin, fol. 18. 2. & 21. 2.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The soldiers likewise - It seems that “they,” also came to his baptism. Whether these were Jews or Romans cannot be ascertained. It is not improbable that, as Judea was a Roman province, they were Jews or Jewish proselytes in the service of Herod Antipas or Philip, and so were really in the Roman service.

Do violence ... - Do not take the property of any by unlawful force, or do not use unjust force against the person or property of any individual. it is probable that many of them were oppressive, or prone to violence, rapine, or theft, and burdensome even in times of peace to the inhabitants.

Neither accuse any falsely - It is probable that when they wished the property of others and could not obtain it by violence, or when there was no pretext for violence, they often attempted the same thing in another way, and falsely accused the persons of crime. The word rendered “falsely accused” is the one from which our word “sycophant” is derived. The proper meaning of the word “sycophant” was this: There was a law in Athens which prohibited the importation of “figs.” The “sycophant” (literally “the man who made figs to appear,” or who showed them) was one who made complaint to the magistrate of persons who had imported figs contrary to law, or who was an “informer;” and then the word came to be used in a general sense to denote “any” complainer - a calumniator - an accuser - an informer. As such persons were usually cringing and fawning, and looked for a reward, the word came to be used also to denote a fawner or flatterer. It is always used in a bad sense. It is correctly rendered here, “do not accuse any falsely.”

Be content ... - Do not murmur or complain, or take unlawful means to increase your wages.

Wages - This word means not only the “money” which was paid them, but also their “rations” or daily allowance of food. By this they were to show that their repentance was genuine; that it had a practical influence; that it produced a real reformation of life; and it is clear that “no other” repentance would be genuine. Every profession of repentance which is not attended with a change of life is mere hypocrisy. It may farther be remarked that John did not condemn their profession, or say that it was unlawful to be a soldier, or that they must abandon the business in order to be true penitents. It was possible to be a good man and yet a soldier. What was required was that in their profession they should show that they were really upright, and did not commit the crimes which were often practiced in that calling. It is lawful to defend oneself, one’s family, or one’s country, and hence, it is lawful to be a soldier. Man everywhere, in all professions, should be a Christian, and then he will do honor to his profession, and his profession, if it is not a direct violation of the law of God, will be honorable.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Luke 3:14. The soldiers likewise demanded of him — He, thirdly, instructs those among the military. They were either Roman soldiers, or the soldiers of Herod or Philip. Use no violence to any, μηδενα διασεισητε, do not extort money or goods by force or violence from any. This is the import of the words neminein concutite, used here by the Vulgate, and points out a crime of which the Roman soldiers were notoriously guilty, their own writers being witnesses. Concussio has the above meaning in the Roman law. See RAPHELIUS in loco.

Neither accuse any falsely — Or, on a frivolous pretence - μηδε συκοφαντησητε, be not sycophants, like those who are base flatterers of their masters, who to ingratiate themselves into their esteem, malign, accuse, and impeach the innocent. Bishop PEARCE observes that, when the concussio above referred to did not produce the effect they wished, they often falsely accused the persons, which is the reason why this advice is added. Luke 19:7.

Be content with your wages. — οψωνιοις. The word signifies not only the money which was allotted to a Roman soldier, which was tico oboli, about three halfpence per day, but also the necessary supply of wheat, barley, &c. See Raphelius.