Luke 19:29

And it came to pass, when he was come nigh to Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount called the mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples,

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(29-38) When he was come nigh to Bethphage and Bethany.—On the general narrative, see Notes on Matthew 21:1-11; Mark 11:1-11. In details we note (1) that St. Luke unites the “Bethphage” of St. Matthew with the “Bethany” of St. Mark; (2) that, as a stranger to Judæa, he speaks of the “mountain that was called the Mount of Olives. Possibly, indeed, both here and in Luke 21:37, as certainly in Acts 1:12, he uses the Greek equivalent for Olivet (the Latin Olivetum, or “place of Olives”) as a proper name. The absence of the article before the Greek for “Olives,” and the accentuation of the words in many MSS., seem decisive in favour of this view.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

19:28-40 Christ has dominion over all creatures, and may use them as he pleases. He has all men's hearts both under his eye and in his hand. Christ's triumphs, and his disciples' joyful praises, vex proud Pharisees, who are enemies to him and to his kingdom. But Christ, as he despises the contempt of the proud, so he accepts the praises of the humble. Pharisees would silence the praises of Christ, but they cannot; for as God can out of stones raise up children unto Abraham, and turn the stony heart to himself, so he can bring praise out of the mouths of children. And what will be the feelings of men when the Lord returns in glory to judge the world!

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

See the notes at Matthew 21:1-16.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

29-38. Bethphage—"house of figs," a village which with Bethany lay along the further side of Mount Olivet, east of Jerusalem.

Matthew Poole's Commentary

Ver. 29-34. See Poole on "Matthew 21:1", and following verses to Matthew 21:6. See Poole on "Mark 11:1", and following verses to Mark 11:6. We have discoursed there of Bethphage and Bethany, and whatever occurs in this history needing any explication.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

And it came to pass when he was come nigh,.... The other evangelists, Matthew and Mark, add "unto Jerusalem"; but this Luke designs afterwards, Luke 19:37 and therefore here means, as is expressed, that he was come nigh

to Bethphage and Bethany; two tracts of land which reached from Mount Olivet to Jerusalem; so that when he was there, he was nigh unto the city:

at the mount, called the Mount of Olives; or "Elaion", as the Ethiopic version, which retains the Greek word for it; and which has its name from the great number of olive trees that grew upon it:

he sent two of his disciples; their names are not mentioned by any of the evangelists, but it is very probable they were Peter and John; of the places here mentioned; See Gill on Matthew 21:1.

Geneva Study Bible

{7} And it came to pass, when he was come nigh to Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount called the mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples,

(7) Christ shows in his own person that his kingdom is not of this world.

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Meyer's NT Commentary

Luke 19:29-38. See on Matthew 21:1-9; Mark 11:1-10. Luke follows Mark, yet not without something peculiar to himself towards the end. With Fritzsche, ad Marc. p. 794 f., Lachmann, and Tischendorf, we must certainly place the accent thus on the word ἐλαιών, olive-grove, olivetum; not as though, if it were ἐλαιῶν, the article would in itself be necessary (after ἐλαι. ὄρος would have to be repeated), but because Luke, when he designates the mountain as the “Mount of Olives,” constantly has the article (Luke 19:37; Luke 22:39); but besides, in Acts 1:12, where he likewise adds καλούμ., he undoubtedly uses the form ἐλαιών as a name. Hence, at Luke 21:37 also, ἐλαιών is to be written. Comp. Joseph. Antt. vii. 9. 2 : διὰ τοῦ ἐλαιῶνος ὄρους. On the nominative, in respect of a verb of naming, see Lobeck, ad Phryn. p. 517; Fritzsche, l.c.; Bernhardy, p. 66.

Luke 19:31. ὅτι] because, an answer to διὰ τί.

Luke 19:33. οἱ κύριοι] the actual possessor and those belonging to him.

Luke 19:35. ἑαυτῶν] they use their own upper garments for a riding cushion in their reverence and love for the Lord. So ἑαυτῶν serves for a vivid colouring of the narrative.

Luke 19:37. ἐγγίζοντος … πρὸς τῇ καταβ.] πρός, not of the movement whither (de Wette), but a pregnant union of the direction (ἐγγίζ.) with the where (when He approached at the declivity). See generally, Kühner II. p. 316. In Homer πρός is often found thus with the dative.

ἤρξαντο] for this was only the last station of the Messiah’s entry.

τῶν μαθητῶν] in the wider sense.

εἶδον] for all the Messianic mighty works which they, as companions of Jesus, had seen.

Luke 19:38. ἐν ὀνόμ. κ.] belongs to ἐρχόμ., according to a frequent transposition. See Bornemann, Schol. p. 121 f.; Kühner, ad Xen. Anab. iv. 2. 18. Comp. Luke 23:48.

εἰρήνη κ.τ.λ.] The thought that “with God is salvation (which He is now purposing to communicate by means of the Messiah), and He is praised (for it) in the height (by the angels, comp. Luke 2:14),” is expressed in a hymnic form by the parallelism: “Salvation is in the heaven, and glory in the highest.” Luke gives the acclamation, according to a tradition, which had avoided the Hebrew Hosanna.

Expositor's Greek Testament

Luke 19:29-38. The triumphal entry into Jerusalem (Matthew 20:1-11, Mark 11:1-11).—Βηθφαγὴ. Following Lightfoot and Renan, Godet regards this as the name not of a village but of a suburban district included for passover purposes in the holy city, pilgrims to the feast finding quarters in it. The reference to the two places Bethphage and Bethany is obscure and confusing.—ἐλαιῶν, commentators dispute whether the word should be accentuated thus, making it genitive plural of ἐλαία, or ἐλαιών, making it nominative singular of a name for the place = Olivetum, olive grove. W. and H[154] print it with the circumflex accent, and Field (Ot. Nor.) and Hahn take the same view.

[154] Westcott and Hort.

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

29-40. The Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem.

29. Bethphage] The site is not identified, but it seems to have been regarded as a suburb of Jerusalem. The name means House of (unripe) Figs.

and Bethany] Perhaps the House of Dates, but this is very uncertain. The mention of Bethany after Bethphage is surprising. Here, however, St Luke omits the supper in the house of ‘Simon the leper’ (Matthew 26:6-13; Mark 14:3-9; John 12:1-19) and the anointing of Jesus by Mary of Bethany. Jesus arrived at Bethany before sunset on Friday, Nisan 8 (March 31, A. D. 30), and therefore before the Sabbath began. Here the throng of Galilaean pilgrims would leave Him to go to their friends in Jerusalem, or to make booths for themselves in the valley of the Kidron and on the slopes of Olivet. The Sabbath was spent in quiet. The supper was in the evening, otherwise the Jews could not have come from Jerusalem, as the distance exceeded a Sabbath day’s journey. It was on the next morning (Palm Sunday) that our Lord started for Jerusalem. His stay at Bethany may have been due to friendship, or may have been dictated by prudence. It was the brooding over the imagined loss of the value of the precious ointment —an assault of Satan at the weakest point—which first drove Judas to his secret interview with the Sadducean priests.

two of his disciples] The minute touch of description in Mark 11:4 has led to the conjecture that Peter was one of these two.

Bengel's Gnomen

Luke 19:29. Ὡς, as) [when]. The several points of time in His journey are accurately noted. So in Luke 19:36-37; Luke 19:41; Luke 19:45.—Ἐλαιῶν, of Olives) See Luke 19:37.

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 29. - And it came to pass, when he was come nigh to Bethphage and Bethany. Bethphage is never mentioned in the Old Testament, but in the Talmud we find it specified in some interesting ceremonial directions. It was evidently an outlying suburb of Jerusalem. Bethphage, which lay between the city and Bethany, was by the rabbis legally counted as part of Jerusalem. Bethany signifies" House of Dates," no doubt so called from its palm trees. Bethphage, "House of Green Figs," from its fig-orchards. The modern Bethany is known as El-Azarieh or Lazarieh, the name attaching to its connection with the history of Lazarus. Luke 19:29

Vincent's Word Studies

Bethphage

See on Matthew 21:1.