Verse-by-Verse Bible Commentary

Adam Clarke Commentary

This stranger - Often God receives more praise and affectionate obedience from those who had long lived without his knowledge and fear, than from those who were bred up among his people, and who profess to be called by his name. The simple reason is, Those who have Much forgiven will love much, Luke 7:47.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible

There are not found that returned,.... Or it do not appear, that any have returned:

to give glory to God; for inasmuch as they did not return to give thanks to Christ, and acknowledge him the author of their cure and cleansing they did not give glory to God:

save this stranger; for so the Samaritans were reckoned by the Jews, even as the Gentile, aliens from the commonwealth, of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise. Christ speaks in the language and dialect of the nation, and yet we find sometimes, that, כותי, "a Cuthite", or a Samaritan, is distinguished from, נכרי, "a stranger", Or a Gentile: they might set up their beasts in the inns of the Samaritans, but not in the inns of "strangers"; and a man might let out his bath to a Samaritan, but not to a "stranger"^F2T. Bab. Avoda Zara, fol. 15. 2. & 21. 2. ; but this must be understood of them in times past, before they were found out to be idolaters; when, as Rabban Simeon ben Gamaliel says^F3T. Hieros Shekalim, fol. 46. 2. , they were as Israelites in all things, and kept the law and the precepts of it, and even more exactly than the Israelites themselves did^F4Maimon. in Misn. Beracot, c. 8. sect. 8. & Bartenora in ib. c. 7. sect. 1. ; but afterwards a Samaritan was reckoned a Gentile, and so he was in the times of Christ; and therefore he calls a Samaritan a stranger: that tradition of the Jews, requires some notice and consideration^F5Misn. Negaim, c. 3. sect. 1. Maimon. Tumaot Tzaraot, c. 9. sect. 1. ; all are defiled

"with leprosies, except הנכרים, "strangers", and the proselyte of the gate.'

And yet here is a stranger among the Jews, and reckoned unclean, on account of leprosy, and sent with them to show himself to the priest.

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

this stranger — “this alien” (literally, “of another race”). The language is that of wonder and admiration, as is expressly said of another exhibition of Gentile faith (Matthew 8:10).

Robertson's Word Pictures in the New Testament

Save this stranger (ει μη ο αλλογενης — ei mē ho allogenēs). The old word was αλλοπυλος — allophulos (Acts 10:28), but αλλογενης — allogenēs occurs in the lxx, Josephus, and inscriptions. Deissmann (Light from the Ancient East, p. 80) gives the inscription from the limestone block from the Temple of Israel in Jerusalem which uses this very word which may have been read by Jesus: Let no foreigner enter within the screen and enclosure surrounding the sanctuary (Μητενα αλλογενη εισπορευεσται εντος του περι το ιερον τρυπακτου και περιβολου — Mēthena allogenē eisporeuesthai entos tou peri to hieron truphaktou kai peribolou).

The Fourfold Gospel

1. Were there none found that returned to give glory to God. It sometimes happens that we receive most where we expect least.

2. Save this stranger? Though the Samaritan's religion was partly Jewish, yet by blood he was a foreigner, as the word "stranger" means.

John Trapp Complete Commentary

18 There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger.

Ver. 18. There are not found] The Syriac and some others read these words question wise, and so it is more emphatic. Are there not found that returned? &c. q.d. That is admirable, that is abominable.

Thomas Coke Commentary on the Holy Bible

Luke 17:18. There are not, &c.— Has there none been observed returning to give glory to God, except this stranger? Heylin. Wynne, instead of the word stranger, renders it alien, αλλογενης,— an alien to the commonwealth of Israel: for as Jesus was now in Samaria, this man could not properly be called a stranger.

Greek Testament Critical Exegetical Commentary

18. ὁ ἀλλογ. οὗτ.] The Samaritans were Gentiles;—not a mixed race, as is sometimes erroneously supposed. They had a mixed religion, but were themselves originally from other countries: see 2 Kings 17:24-41. There may have been a reason for the nine Jews not returning,—that they held the ceremonial duty imposed on them to be paramount, which the Samaritan might not rate so highly. That he was going to Mount Gerizim does not appear: from his being found with Jews, he probably would act as a Jew.

Johann Albrecht Bengel's Gnomon of the New Testament

Luke 17:18. οὐχ εὑρέθησαν, there have not been found) i.e. the nine have not been found.— ὑποστρέψαντες, who returned to give) A part of the Predicate. [In returning home from Jerusalem, it would have been but a slight deviation from their route to have repaired to Jesus; and yet they thought it too much trouble to go to Him.—V. g.]— δοῦναι, to give) They ought to have done so of their own accord.— ἀλλογενὴς, alien) who might seem to have been likely to have been benefited by the society of the rest, they being persons who were more bound to give thanks than he.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible

See Poole on "Luke 17:17"

Alexander MacLaren's Expositions of Holy Scripture

сего иноплеменника Очевидно, Иисус не выделял самарян в особую группу в сравнении с другими язычниками. См. пояснение к Ин. 4:4.

Justin Edwards' Family Bible New Testament

This stranger; a foreigner, as were the Samaritans, and not a Jew. In this transaction the Lord saw foreshadowed the bringing in of the Gentiles to his church. However great or numerous the temporal favors God bestows upon men, few comparatively give him the glory-and those, only through the riches of divine grace.

Whedon's Commentary on the Bible

18.This stranger—This foreign born, this alien.

Schaff's Popular Commentary on the New Testament

Luke 17:18. Save this stranger, or ‘alien,’ not of Jewish extraction. The nine were Jews, and yet put the ceremonial requirement above gratitude to their own countryman who had healed them; the stranger came, though the Jews had no dealings with the Samaritans (John 4:9).

The Expositor's Greek Testament

Luke 17:18_{. , etc., best taken as another question (so R.V[136]).— , here only, in N.T.; also in Sept[137] = and in classics, an alien. Once more the Jew suffers by comparison with those without in respect of genuine religious feeling—faith, gratitude. It is not indeed said that all the rest were Jews. What is certain is that the one man who came back was not a Jew.}

_{[136] Revised Version.}

_{[137] Septuagint.}

E.W. Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes

There are not = Were there not?

stranger = alien. Greek. allogenes = of another race. Occurs only here, but frequently in the Septuagint. Used by the Romans in the Inscription discovered by Clermont-Ganneau in 1871 (now in the Imperial New Museum in Constantinople). It was put up on the marble barriers of the inner courts of the Temple to warn off Gentiles. See Deissmann"s Light, pp Luke 74:75. Compare Acts 21:28.

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible - Unabridged

There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger.

There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger, [ ho (Greek #3588) allogenees (Greek #241) houtos (Greek #3778)] - 'this alien,' 'this of another race.' The language is that of wonder and admiration, as is expressly said of another exhibition of Gentile faith (Matthew 8:10).

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(18) Save this stranger.—The word for “stranger” means literally, a man of another race, an alien. It is not found elsewhere in the New Testament, but is used in the LXX. of Isaiah 56:3. It was probably a term of contempt in common use among the Jews. (Comp. the kindred word “aliens,” with special reference to the Philistines, in Hebrews 11:34, and “one of another nation” in Acts 10:28.) It implied, as did the whole treatment of the Samaritans by the Jews. that the former were not recognised as being, in any sense, children of Abraham.

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

to give

Psalms 29:1,2; 50:23; 106:13; Isaiah 42:12; Revelation 14:7

save

Matthew 8:10,12; 15:24-28; 19:30; 20:16