Luke 21:4

For all these have of their abundance cast in unto the offerings of God: but she of her penury hath cast in all the living that she had.

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(4) For all these have . . . cast.—Better, all these cast . . ., and so in the next clause.

Unto the offerings of God.—The better MSS. omit the last two words. “Offerings,” literally, gifts.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

21:1-4 From the offering of this poor widow, learn that what we rightly give for the relief of the poor, and the support of God's worship, is given unto God; and our Saviour sees with pleasure whatever we have in our hearts to give for the relief of his members, or for his service. Blessed Lord! the poorest of thy servants have two mites, they have a soul and a body; persuade and enable us to offer both unto thee; how happy shall we be in thine accepting of them!

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Penury - Poverty. See this explained in the notes at Mark 12:41-44.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

4. of their abundance—their superfluity; what they had to spare," or beyond what they needed.

of her penury—or "want" (Mr 12:44)—her deficiency, of what was less than her own wants required, "all the living she had." Mark (Mr 12:44) still more emphatically, "all that she had—her whole subsistence." Note: (1) As temple offerings are needed still for the service of Christ at home and abroad, so "looking down" now, as then "up," Me "sees" who "cast in," and how much. (2) Christ's standard of commendable offering is not our superfluity, but our deficiency—not what will never be missed, but what costs us some real sacrifice, and just in proportion to the relative amount of that sacrifice. (See 2Co 8:1-3.)

Matthew Poole's Commentary

See Poole on "Luke 21:1"

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

For all these have of their abundance,.... Which they had remaining; the same Hebrew word signifying to remain, and to abound: they had large possessions, and gave in much, and yet had a great deal left; out of which they

cast in unto the offerings of God; or "gifts of God": not as gifts unto him; or among the gifts of God; but into the treasury where the gifts, and freewill offerings were put; the same with the "Corban", in Matthew 27:6 and so the Syriac version here renders it, "the house of the offering of God": and it is expressed in the plural; because there were several chests, in which these gifts were put, for various uses; See Gill on Mark 12:41.

but she of her penury hath cast in all the living she had; See Gill on Mark 12:44.

Geneva Study Bible

For all these have of their abundance cast in unto the offerings of God: but she of her penury hath cast in all the living that she had.

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Expositor's Greek Testament

Luke 21:4. ἅπαντες οὗτοι, all these, referring to the rich and pointing to them.—ὑστερήματος: practically = Mk.’s ὑστερήσεως, preferred possibly because in use in St. Paul’s epistles: not so good a word as ὑστέρησις to denote the state of poverty out of which she gave. Lk.’s expression strictly means that she gave out of a deficit, a minus quantity (“ex eo quod deest illi,” Vulg[170]), a strong but intelligible way of putting it.—τ. βίον, her living, as in Luke 15:12; Luke 15:30 = means of subsistence. Lk. combines Mk.’s two phrases into one.

[170] Vulgate (Jerome’s revision of old Latin version).

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

4. of their abundance] Rather, out of their overplus. The essence of charity is self-denial. But in these days most people give ‘mites’ out of their vast superfluity,—which is no charity at all; and they talk of these offerings as ‘mites,’ as though that word excused and even consecrated an offering miserably inadequate.

Luke 21:4

Vincent's Word Studies

Offerings of God

The best texts omit of God. Rev., more simply, unto the gifts.

Penury (ὑστερήματος)

Lit., lack. Rev., neatly, of her want.