Luke 24:18

And the one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answering said unto him, Art thou only a stranger in Jerusalem, and hast not known the things which are come to pass there in these days?

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(18) One of them, whose name was Cleopas.—The name is to be distinguished from the Clopas of John 19:25, which was probably a Græcised form of the Aramaic name of a Galilean disciple. Here the name is a Greek contraction of Cleopatros (so Antipas, from Antipatros), and so far, as connected with Cleopatra, indicates Hellenistic and probably Alexandrian antecedents. This may in part, perhaps, account for his imparting to St. Luke what had not found its way into the current oral teaching of the Hebrew Church at Jerusalem, as embodied in the narratives of St. Matthew and St. Mark.

Art thou only a stranger in Jerusalem?—The English is, at least, ambiguous. Better, Art thou alone a sojourner . . .?

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

24:13-27 This appearance of Jesus to the two disciples going to Emmaus, happened the same day that he rose from the dead. It well becomes the disciples of Christ to talk together of his death and resurrection; thus they may improve one another's knowledge, refresh one another's memory, and stir up each other's devout affections. And where but two together are well employed in work of that kind, he will come to them, and make a third. Those who seek Christ, shall find him: he will manifest himself to those that inquire after him; and give knowledge to those who use the helps for knowledge which they have. No matter how it was, but so it was, they did not know him; he so ordering it, that they might the more freely discourse with him. Christ's disciples are often sad and sorrowful, even when they have reason to rejoice; but through the weakness of their faith, they cannot take the comfort offered to them. Though Christ is entered into his state of exaltation, yet he notices the sorrows of his disciples, and is afflicted in their afflictions. Those are strangers in Jerusalem, that know not of the death and sufferings of Jesus. Those who have the knowledge of Christ crucified, should seek to spread that knowledge. Our Lord Jesus reproved them for the weakness of their faith in the Scriptures of the Old Testament. Did we know more of the Divine counsels as far as they are made known in the Scriptures, we should not be subject to the perplexities we often entangle ourselves in. He shows them that the sufferings of Christ were really the appointed way to his glory; but the cross of Christ was that to which they could not reconcile themselves. Beginning at Moses, the first inspired writer of the Old Testament, Jesus expounded to them the things concerning himself. There are many passages throughout all the Scriptures concerning Christ, which it is of great advantage to put together. We cannot go far in any part, but we meet with something that has reference to Christ, some prophecy, some promise, some prayer, some type or other. A golden thread of gospel grace runs through the whole web of the Old Testament. Christ is the best expositor of Scripture; and even after his resurrection, he led people to know the mystery concerning himself, not by advancing new notions, but by showing how the Scripture was fulfilled, and turning them to the earnest study of it.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Art thou only a stranger? ... - This is an expression of surprise that he should be unacquainted with an affair that had made so much noise, and that had been attended with so remarkable circumstances. The word "stranger" here denotes one who had come to reside at a place only for a "time," not a permanent inhabitant. Many Jews came up from all parts of the world to Jerusalem, to keep the Passover there. They appear to have taken Jesus to be such a stranger or foreigner. The meaning of this verse may be thus expressed: "The affair concerning which we are sad has been well known, and has made a great talk and noise, so that all, even the strangers who have come up to remain there but a little time, are well acquainted with it. Art thou the "only one" of them who has not heard it? Is everybody so well acquainted with it, and thou hast not heard of it? It is a matter of surprise, and we cannot account for it."

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

18. knowest not, &c.—If he knew not the events of the last few days in Jerusalem, he must be a mere sojourner; if he did, how could he suppose they would be talking of anything else? How artless all this!

Matthew Poole's Commentary

Ver. 18,19. The things which had lately happened in Jerusalem were so many, and so unusual, that the disciples wonder that any one coming from Jerusalem should ask, What things? They therefore ask him if he were a mere stranger in Jerusalem, coming from some other country, or from some remoter parts of Judea or Galilee? Or, if he were the only man who had been unconcerned in what was the common discourse both of the town and country? Still our Saviour draws out the discourse from them, by asking them,

What things? They tell him, Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, a Prophet mighty in deed and word; in which phrase Stephen celebrated Moses, Acts 7:22; that is, one who did not only in an extraordinary manner reveal the will of God unto men, but also did many great and mighty works, and lived a most holy and most exemplary life and conversation, so as that he was not only highly favoured of God, but in great repute and estimation also amongst the people.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

And one of them, whose name was Cleophas,.... Or Alphaeus, for it is the same name; he was one of the seventy disciples, and father of the Apostles James and Jude, and brother to Joseph, the husband of Mary, the mother of Christ, as before observed:

answering, said unto him, art thou only a stranger in Jerusalem, and hast not known the things which are come to pass there in these days? The Persic version reads, "in these two days": the sense that whereas he appeared to come from Jerusalem, that if he was only a stranger and a sojourner, and not a stated inhabitant there, he could not be ignorant of what had been done there a few days past; or if he was, that he must be the only stranger, and the only man, that was so; for the facts referred to were so notorious, that every one must know them, inhabitant or stranger.

Geneva Study Bible

And {d} the one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answering said unto him, Art thou only a stranger in Jerusalem, and hast not known the things which are come to pass there in these days?

(d) Some of the old fathers think that the other disciple was the same evangelist who wrote this book, but Epiphanius, writing against the Saturnilians, says it was Nathanael; but none of these are certainties.

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Expositor's Greek Testament

Luke 24:18. ἀποκριθεὶς δὲ: at last after recovering from surprise one of them, Cleopas, finds his tongue, and explains fully the subject of their conversation.—Σὺ μόνος, etc.: he begins by expressing his surprise that the stranger should need to be told. What could they be talking about but the one supreme topic of the hour? The verb παροικεῖς might mean: live near, and the point of the question be: dost thou live near Jerusalem (in the neighbourhood of Emmaus, a few miles distant), and not know, etc. So Grotius, Rosenmüller, Bleek, etc. The usual meaning of the verb in Sept[204] and N.T. (Hebrews 11:9) is to sojourn as a stranger, and most take it in that sense here = art thou a stranger sojourning in Jerusalem (at passover time), and therefore ignorant? The μόνος implies isolation over and above being a stranger. There were many strangers in Jerusalem at passover season; the two friends might be among them; but even visitors from Galilee and other places knew all about what had happened = do you live alone, having no communication with others—a stranger in Jerusalem so as to be the only man who does not know? (μόνος qualifies ἔγνως as well as παροικεῖς).

[204] Septuagint.

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

18. whose name was Cleopas] See on Luke 24:13. The mention of so entirely obscure a name alone proves that the story is not an invention. Pii non sua sed aliorum causa memorantur. Bengel.

Art thou only a stranger in Jerusalem] Rather, Dost thou live alone as a stranger in Jerusalem; art thou some lonely sojourner in Jerusalem, come from a distance?

Bengel's Gnomen

Luke 24:18. Ὁ εἷς, the one) The name of the other of the two is not given; who notwithstanding was also dear to the Lord. So too John 1:35; John 1:40 [where “two disciples” are mentioned, of whom Andrew alone is named]. The godly are mentioned not for their own sake, but for the sake of others. [Long ago Orige[271] indeed considered Peter to be the companion of Cleopas who was meant (L. contra Celsum, p. 105); but in that case either Peter would have spoken, or at least Cleopas would have more distinctly appealed to Peter’s report of what he had seen at the sepulchre in ch. Luke 24:24. There is to be added the fact, that both of these disciples are expressly distinguished from “the Eleven” in Luke 24:33. Harduin suspects that Cephas, Galatians 2:9; 1 Corinthians 1:2; 1 Corinthians 1:9; 1 Corinthians 1:15, was a disciple distinct from Peter; and from the passage, 1 Corinthians 15:5, that he was the companion of Cleopas, Op. sel., p. 928. But from 1 Corinthians 15:9, it is not obscurely evident that Paul speaks of Kephas as an apostle. One may more reasonably raise the question, whether the Simon to whom the Lord appeared was not a disciple distinct, as well from the companion of Cleopas, as also from Peter or, as he is otherwise named, Kephas, inasmuch as the appearance of our Lord was vouchsafed to the latter before that Peter returned to the rest from the walk mentioned in ch. Luke 24:12. Whichever of these views be correct, at least it is certain that the Saviour appeared to the women first; then to some of the disciples not distinguished with the dignity of apostles; in fine, to Simon Peter, who even most of all stood in need of this grace, and to the rest of the apostles, who as well as Peter ought to have conceived faith sooner than all the rest, and that too a faith of a more elevated character.—Harm., p. 603.]—παροικεῖς, art Thou only a new-comer [‘stranger’]) Jesus here seems to have retained the dialect of Galilee, inasmuch as Cleopas does not take Him to be a citizen of Jerusalem.

[271] rigen (born about 186 A.D., died 253 A.D., a Greek father: two-thirds of the N. Test. are quoted in his writings). Ed. Vinc. Delarue, Paris. 1733, 1740, 1759.

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 18. - And the one of them, whose name was Cleopas. This name is a Greek contraction of Cleopatros, and points to Alexandrian antecedents. Dean Plumptre suggests that this may in part, perhaps, account for this Cleopas, not improbably a Jew of Alexandria, imparting to St. Luke what had not found its way into the current oral teaching of the Hebrew Church at Jerusalem, as embodied in the narratives of SS. Matthew and Mark. Art thou only a stranger in Jerusalem? better translated, dost thou alone sojourn in Jerusalem, and not know, etc.? That is to say, "Art thou the only stranger in Jerusalem who does not know about the wonderful events which have just taken place in the holy city?" Luke 24:18

Vincent's Word Studies

Art thou only a stranger in Jerusalem (σὺ μόνος παροικεῖς Ἰερουσαλὴμ)

Παροικεῖν, to dwell as a stranger, is used in later Greek of strangers who have no rights of citizenship, and no settled home. Compare Hebrews 11:9. See on strangers, 1 Peter 1:1; and compare sojourning, 1 Peter 1:17. The only of the A. V. is commonly understood adverbially: "Are you nothing but a stranger?" But the emphasis of the question falls there, and the word is an adjective. Render "Dost thou alone dwell as a stranger in Jerusalem?" Are you the only one who sojourns as a stranger in Jerusalem, and who does not know, etc. So, nearly, Wyc., Thou alone art a pilgrim in Jerusalem.