Luke 24:19

And he said unto them, What things? And they said unto him, Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, which was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people:

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(19) What things?—Literally, What kind of things?

Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, which was a prophet.—The words indicate the precise stage of faith which the two disciples had reached. They believed in Jesus as a prophet; they hoped that He would redeem Israel. They had not risen to the belief that He was the Christ, the Son of God. And now even that faith was tottering. The whole narrative suggests that our Lord was choosing this exceptional method of dealing with them as a step in the spiritual education which was to lead them on to the higher truth.

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

A prophet - A teacher sent from God. They did not now call him the "Messiah," for his "death" had led them to doubt that, but they had no doubt that he was a distinguished "prophet." The evidence of that was so clear that they "could" not call it in question.

Mighty in deed - Powerful in working miracles, in raising the dead, healing the sick, etc.

In word - In teaching.

Before God and all the people - Manifestly; publicly. So that "God" owned him, and the people regarded him as a distinguished teacher.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

19. Concerning Jesus, &c.—As if feeling it a relief to have someone to unburden his thoughts and feelings to, this disciple goes over the main facts in his own desponding style, and this was just what our Lord wished.

Matthew Poole's Commentary

See Poole on "Luke 24:18"

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

And he said unto them, what things?.... Still appearing as if he was ignorant, and in order to, draw out of them a particular relation:

and they said unto him; both of them, or rather Cleophas, for himself and his companion:

concerning Jesus of Nazareth; that is, what had happened to him, who was commonly known by this name, and was called so by way of contempt: but

which was a prophet; not only a foreteller of things to come, as he foretold his sufferings, death, and resurrection, the troubles that should befall his disciples, the destruction of Jerusalem, and the end of the world; but he was a preacher of the Gospel, an eminent one, a famous and extraordinary one, that prophet which Moses spake of should come; and who was mighty in deed and word: he was anointed with the Holy Ghost and with power, which he showed by the miracles he wrought; such as healing the sick, cleansing lepers, casting out devils, restoring sight to the blind, causing the deaf to hear, the dumb to speak, the lame to walk, and raising the dead to life; and in the doctrines he taught, which were with authority, and such as never man spake:

before God and all the people; he was sent and anointed by God as a prophet, and approved by him; who bore a testimony to him by a voice from heaven, declaring him to be his beloved Son; and the works he wrought, were done publicly before men, who glorified God on that account; and the doctrines he taught, were not taught in secret, but in the synagogues and in the temple, in the audience of all the people, and to their surprise and admiration.

Geneva Study Bible

And he said unto them, What things? And they said unto him, Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, which was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people:

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Meyer's NT Commentary

Luke 24:19-21. Ποῖα] scil. οὐκ ἔγνων γενόμενα κ.τ.λ. The qualitative word of interrogation presupposes things of a special kind which must have happened; προσποιεῖται ἄγνοιαν, Euthymius Zigabenus.

οἱ δὲ εἶπον] Probably here also Cleopas was the speaker, and the other added his own assent to what was said.

ὃς ἐγένετο] not: who was (thus usually), but: who became, whereby the idea se praestitit, se praebuit (see Kühner, ad Xen. Anab. i. 7. 4), is expressed.

ἀνὴρ προφ.] an honourable expression, Bernhardy, p. 48.

δυνατὸς ἐν ἔργῳ κ. λόγῳ] Comp. Thuc. i. 139. 4, where Pericles is called λέγειν τε καὶ πράσσειν δυνατώτατος. ἐν marks the sphere wherein, etc. Comp. Acts 18:24; Acts 7:22; Jdt 11:8; Sir 21:8. In the classical writers the mere dative of the instrument is the usual form. See Bornemann, Schol. p. 159. See examples of both arrangements: ἔργῳ κ. λ. and λόγῳ κ. ἔ., in Lobeck, Paralip. p. 64 f.; Bornemann, ad Xen. Mem. ii. 3. 6; Pflugk, ad Eur. Hec. 373. In this place ἔργῳ is put first as containing the first ground of acknowledgment of the Messianic dignity. Comp. Acts 1:1; John 10:38; Acts 10:38ἐναντίον κ.τ.λ.] i.e. so that He represented Himself as such to God and the whole people.

Luke 24:20. ὅπως τε] et quomodo, still depending on the οὐκ ἔγνως of Luke 24:18, which is mentally supplied as governing τὰ περὶ Ἰησοῦ κ.τ.λ. On εἰς κρίμα θανάτου, to the condemnation of death, comp. Luke 23:24καὶ ἐσταύρωσαν] for it was their work that He was crucified by the governor. Comp. Acts 2:23Luke 24:21. ἡμεῖς δὲ ἠλπίζομεν] but we, on our part, were entertaining the hope (observe the imperfect), etc. This hope, demolished by the crucifixion, how soon was it again inflamed! Acts 1:6αὐτός] He, and no other

λυτροῦσθαι] according to the politico-theocratic idea of the national Messiah. Comp. Acts 1:6, and see Theophylact.

ἀλλά γε] but indeed, although we cherished this hope. See Hermann, ad Eur. Ion. 1345, Praef. p. xx.; Kühner, ad Xen. Mem. i. 2. 12. On the immediate juxtaposition of the two particles, a usage foreign to the older Greek writers, see Bornemann, Schol. p. 160; Klotz, ad Devar. pp. 15 f., 25; Stallbaum, ad Plat. Rep. I. p. 331 B.

καί] (see the critical remarks): besides.

σὺν πᾶσι τούτοις] σὺν denotes the accompanying circumstance: with all this, i.e. with the having undergone all this fate, namely, of being delivered up and crucified (Luke 24:20). Comp. Nehemiah 5:18; 3Ma 1:22; and see, generally, Ellendt, Lex. Soph. II. p. 763.

τρίτην ταύτην ἡμέραν ἄγει σήμερον] The subject is Jesus, who immediately before was the subject emphatically made prominent. Comp. Beza, Kypke. ἄγειν, of time: to spend; as e.g. δέκατον ἔτος ἄγειν, to be in the tenth year, and the like, does not belong merely to the later Greek.[273] Compare the passages in Kypke. τρίτην ταύτην ἡμέραν is equivalent to ταύτην τρίτην οὖσαν ἡμέραν, or ταύτην, ἣ τρίτη ἐστὶν ἡμέρα. See Kühner, ad Xen. Anab. iv. 7. 5. Comp. iii. 5. 9. Hence: But indeed, besides all this, He passes this present day as the third since, etc. In this case, it is true, σήμερον is superfluous, but it corresponds to the painful excitement of the words. Comp. Mark 14:29. ἄγει has been ungrammatically taken as impersonal: agitur (Grotius, Bengel, Rosenmüller, Kuinoel, de Wette, Baumgarten-Crusius, Ewald, Buttmann, Bleek, and others); while others grasp at arbitrary modes of supplying the subject, as ὁ χρόνος (Camerarius), Θεός (Heinsius), ὁ ἥλιος (Er. Schmid, Heumann). Bornemann regards Ἰσραήλ as the subject: “Is dies, quem Israel hodie celebrat, tertius est, ex quo,” etc. But the context leads us neither to Israel nor to the mention of the celebration of the festival.

[273] Sophocles, El. 258, has: ἔπειτα ποίας ἡμέρας δοκεῖς μʼ ἄγειν: What kind of days thinkest thou I am spending?

Expositor's Greek Testament

Luke 24:19. ποῖα, what sort of things? with an affected indifference, the feigning of love—οἱ δὲ εἶπον: both speak now, distributing the story between them.—ἀνὴρ προφήτης, a prophetic man, a high estimate, but not the highest.—ἀνὴρ may be viewed as redundant—“eleganter abundat,” Kypke.

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

19. a prophet, mighty in deed and word] See a remarkable parallel to this description in Acts 2:22.

Bengel's Gnomen

Luke 24:19. Τὰ περὶ) The things concerning Jesus. This clause, after the description of the Subject (Jesus) has been interposed, is explained in detail in Luke 24:20 : with which comp. Luke 24:14; Luke 24:18 at the end.

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 19. - And they said unto him, Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, which was a Prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people. To the Stranger's question, "What things have so lately excited Jerusalem?" they both probably burst out with "the Name," then doubtless on all lips in the holy city, "Jesus of Nazareth," the hated and adored Same. And then they went on with a farther explanation to One who seemed a stranger just arrived: they explained who this Jesus was supposed to have been. "He was a Prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people," which Lunge happily paraphrases "equally great in secret contemplative holiness and in public acts of beneficence." But then the "two" explained, "This he was; for he is no more. Our chief priests and rulers have done him to death. They have crucified him." Luke 24:19

Vincent's Word Studies

What things (ποῖα)

Lit., "what kind of things."