Luke 6:1
New International Version
One Sabbath Jesus was going through the grainfields, and his disciples began to pick some heads of grain, rub them in their hands and eat the kernels.

New Living Translation
One Sabbath day as Jesus was walking through some grainfields, his disciples broke off heads of grain, rubbed off the husks in their hands, and ate the grain.

English Standard Version
On a Sabbath, while he was going through the grainfields, his disciples plucked and ate some heads of grain, rubbing them in their hands.

Berean Standard Bible
One Sabbath Jesus was passing through the grainfields, and His disciples began to pick the heads of grain, rub them in their hands, and eat them.

Berean Literal Bible
And it came to pass on a Sabbath, He is passing along through grainfields; and His disciples were plucking and were eating the heads of grain, rubbing them in the hands.

King James Bible
And it came to pass on the second sabbath after the first, that he went through the corn fields; and his disciples plucked the ears of corn, and did eat, rubbing them in their hands.

New King James Version
Now it happened on the second Sabbath after the first that He went through the grainfields. And His disciples plucked the heads of grain and ate them, rubbing them in their hands.

New American Standard Bible
Now it happened that Jesus was passing through some grainfields on a Sabbath, and His disciples were picking the heads of grain, rubbing them in their hands, and eating them.

NASB 1995
Now it happened that He was passing through some grainfields on a Sabbath; and His disciples were picking the heads of grain, rubbing them in their hands, and eating the grain.

NASB 1977
Now it came about that on a certain Sabbath He was passing through some grainfields; and His disciples were picking and eating the heads of grain, rubbing them in their hands.

Legacy Standard Bible
Now it happened that on a Sabbath He was passing through some grainfields, and His disciples were picking and eating the heads of grain, rubbing them in their hands.

Amplified Bible
One Sabbath while Jesus was passing through fields of standing grain, it happened that His disciples were picking the heads of grain, rubbing them in their hands, and eating them.

Christian Standard Bible
On a Sabbath, he passed through the grainfields. His disciples were picking heads of grain, rubbing them in their hands, and eating them.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
On a Sabbath, He passed through the grainfields. His disciples were picking heads of grain, rubbing them in their hands, and eating them.

American Standard Version
Now it came to pass on a sabbath, that he was going through the grainfields; and his disciples plucked the ears, and did eat, rubbing them in their hands.

Contemporary English Version
One Sabbath when Jesus and his disciples were walking through some wheat fields, the disciples picked some wheat. They rubbed the husks off with their hands and started eating the grain.

English Revised Version
Now it came to pass on a sabbath, that he was going through the cornfields; and his disciples plucked the ears of corn, and did eat, rubbing them in their hands.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Once, on a day of worship, Jesus was walking through some grainfields. His disciples were picking the heads of grain, removing the husks, and eating the grain.

Good News Translation
Jesus was walking through some wheat fields on a Sabbath. His disciples began to pick the heads of wheat, rub them in their hands, and eat the grain.

International Standard Version
One time Jesus was walking through some grain fields on a Sabbath. His disciples were picking the heads of grain, rubbing them in their hands, and eating them.

Majority Standard Bible
On the second chief Sabbath, Jesus was passing through the grainfields, and His disciples began to pick the heads of grain, rub them in their hands, and eat them.

NET Bible
Jesus was going through the grain fields on a Sabbath, and his disciples picked some heads of wheat, rubbed them in their hands, and ate them.

New Heart English Bible
Now it happened on the second chief Sabbath that he was going through the grain fields. His disciples plucked the heads of grain, and ate, rubbing them in their hands.

Webster's Bible Translation
And it came to pass on the second sabbath after the first, that he went through corn-fields; and his disciples plucked the ears of corn, and ate, rubbing them in their hands.

Weymouth New Testament
Now on the second-first Sabbath while He was passing through the wheatfields, His disciples were plucking the ears and rubbing them with their hands to eat the grain.

World English Bible
Now on the second Sabbath after the first, he was going through the grain fields. His disciples plucked the heads of grain and ate, rubbing them in their hands.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
And it came to pass, on a Sabbath, as He is going through the grainfields, that His disciples were plucking the ears, and were eating, rubbing with the hands,

Berean Literal Bible
And it came to pass on a Sabbath, He is passing along through grainfields; and His disciples were plucking and were eating the heads of grain, rubbing them in the hands.

Young's Literal Translation
And it came to pass, on the second-first sabbath, as he is going through the corn fields, that his disciples were plucking the ears, and were eating, rubbing with the hands,

Smith's Literal Translation
And it was in the second first sabbath, he went through the standing corn; and his disciples pulled out the ears of corn, and ate, crumbling in small pieces with hands.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
AND it came to pass on the second first sabbath, that as he went through the corn fields, his disciples plucked the ears, and did eat, rubbing them in their hands.

Catholic Public Domain Version
Now it happened that, on the second first Sabbath, as he passed through the grain field, his disciples were separating the ears of grain and eating them, by rubbing them in their hands.

New American Bible
While he was going through a field of grain on a sabbath, his disciples were picking the heads of grain, rubbing them in their hands, and eating them.

New Revised Standard Version
One sabbath while Jesus was going through the grainfields, his disciples plucked some heads of grain, rubbed them in their hands, and ate them.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
IT came to pass on the sabbath, as Jesus walked through the wheat fields, his disciples plucked ears of wheat, and rubbed them in their hands and did eat.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
Now it happened on the Sabbath when Yeshua was walking among the grain, his disciples were plucking the ears and were rubbing them in their hands and eating them.
NT Translations
Anderson New Testament
And it came to pass, on the first sabbath after the second day of the feast, that he was going through the fields of grain; and his disciples pulled the ears and ate, rubbing them in their hands.

Godbey New Testament
And it came to pass on the second Sabbath, He was going through the cornfields; and His disciples were plucking the ears, and eating, shelling them out with their hands.

Haweis New Testament
AND it came to pass on the sabbath after the second day of the passover, that he was passing through the cornfields; and the disciples plucked the ears of corn, and did eat, rubbing them out in their hands.

Mace New Testament
On the second-prime sabbath, as Jesus was passing through the corn-fields, his disciples happen'd to pluck the ears, and rubbing out the corn with their hands began to eat.

Weymouth New Testament
Now on the second-first Sabbath while He was passing through the wheatfields, His disciples were plucking the ears and rubbing them with their hands to eat the grain.

Worrell New Testament
And it came to pass on a sabbath, that He was going through grainfields; and His disciples were plucking and eating the heads of grain, rubbing them with their hands.

Worsley New Testament
And it came to pass on the second-sabbath after the first, that as He was passing through the corn-fields, his disciples plucked the ears of corn, and rubbed them in their hands and ate them.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Lord of the Sabbath
1 One Sabbath Jesus was passing through the grainfields, and His disciples began to pick the heads of grain, rub them in their hands, and eat them. 2But some of the Pharisees asked, “Why are you doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?”…

Cross References
Matthew 12:1-8
At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry and began to pick the heads of grain and eat them. / When the Pharisees saw this, they said to Him, “Look, Your disciples are doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath.” / Jesus replied, “Have you not read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? ...

Mark 2:23-28
One Sabbath Jesus was passing through the grainfields, and His disciples began to pick the heads of grain as they walked along. / So the Pharisees said to Him, “Look, why are they doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?” / Jesus replied, “Have you never read what David did when he and his companions were hungry and in need? ...

Deuteronomy 23:25
When you enter your neighbor’s grainfield, you may pluck the heads of grain with your hand, but you must not put a sickle to your neighbor’s grain.

Exodus 20:8-11
Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. / Six days you shall labor and do all your work, / but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God, on which you must not do any work—neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant or livestock, nor the foreigner within your gates. ...

Exodus 31:12-17
And the LORD said to Moses, / “Tell the Israelites, ‘Surely you must keep My Sabbaths, for this will be a sign between Me and you for the generations to come, so that you may know that I am the LORD who sanctifies you. / Keep the Sabbath, for it is holy to you. Anyone who profanes it must surely be put to death. Whoever does any work on that day must be cut off from among his people. ...

Leviticus 24:8
Every Sabbath day the bread is to be set out before the LORD on behalf of the Israelites as a permanent covenant.

1 Samuel 21:1-6
Then David came to Nob, to Ahimelech the priest. And when Ahimelech met David, he trembled and asked him, “Why are you alone? Why is no one with you?” / “The king has given me a mission,” David replied. “He told me no one is to know about the mission on which I am sending you. And I have directed my young men to meet me at a certain place. / Now then, what do you have on hand? Give me five loaves of bread, or whatever can be found.” ...

Nehemiah 13:15-22
In those days I saw people in Judah treading winepresses on the Sabbath and bringing in grain and loading it on donkeys, along with wine, grapes, and figs. All kinds of goods were being brought into Jerusalem on the Sabbath day. So I warned them against selling food on that day. / Additionally, men of Tyre who lived there were importing fish and all kinds of merchandise and selling them on the Sabbath to the people of Judah in Jerusalem. / Then I rebuked the nobles of Judah and asked, “What is this evil you are doing—profaning the Sabbath day? ...

Isaiah 58:13-14
If you turn your foot from breaking the Sabbath, from doing as you please on My holy day, if you call the Sabbath a delight, and the LORD’s holy day honorable, if you honor it by not going your own way or seeking your own pleasure or speaking idle words, / then you will delight yourself in the LORD, and I will make you ride on the heights of the land and feed you with the heritage of your father Jacob.” For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.

Hosea 6:6
For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.

Matthew 9:13
But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Matthew 23:23
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You pay tithes of mint, dill, and cumin. But you have disregarded the weightier matters of the law: justice, mercy, and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former.

Mark 3:4
And He asked them, “Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy it?” But they were silent.

John 5:16-18
Now because Jesus was doing these things on the Sabbath, the Jews began to persecute Him. / But Jesus answered them, “To this very day My Father is at His work, and I too am working.” / Because of this, the Jews tried all the harder to kill Him. Not only was He breaking the Sabbath, but He was even calling God His own Father, making Himself equal with God.

John 7:22-23
But because Moses gave you circumcision, you circumcise a boy on the Sabbath (not that it is from Moses, but from the patriarchs.) / If a boy can be circumcised on the Sabbath so that the law of Moses will not be broken, why are you angry with Me for making the whole man well on the Sabbath?


Treasury of Scripture

And it came to pass on the second sabbath after the first, that he went through the corn fields; and his disciples plucked the ears of corn, and did eat, rubbing them in their hands.

the second.

Exodus 12:15
Seven days shall ye eat unleavened bread; even the first day ye shall put away leaven out of your houses: for whosoever eateth leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that soul shall be cut off from Israel.

Leviticus 23:7,10,11,15
In the first day ye shall have an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein…

Deuteronomy 16:9
Seven weeks shalt thou number unto thee: begin to number the seven weeks from such time as thou beginnest to put the sickle to the corn.

that.

Matthew 12:1
At that time Jesus went on the sabbath day through the corn; and his disciples were an hungred, and began to pluck the ears of corn, and to eat.

Mark 2:23
And it came to pass, that he went through the corn fields on the sabbath day; and his disciples began, as they went, to pluck the ears of corn.

and his.

Deuteronomy 23:25
When thou comest into the standing corn of thy neighbour, then thou mayest pluck the ears with thine hand; but thou shalt not move a sickle unto thy neighbour's standing corn.

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Ate Corn Cornfields Corn-Fields Crushing Disciples Drinking Ears Eat Eating Fields First Food Grain Hands Heads Jesus New Pick Plucked Plucking Rubbing Sabbath Second Wine Wish
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Ate Corn Cornfields Corn-Fields Crushing Disciples Drinking Ears Eat Eating Fields First Food Grain Hands Heads Jesus New Pick Plucked Plucking Rubbing Sabbath Second Wine Wish
Luke 6
1. Jesus reproves the Pharisees;
12. chooses apostles;
17. heals the diseased;
20. preaches to his disciples before the people: the beattitudes;
27. Love your Enemy
37. Do not Judge
43. A Tree and Its Fruit
46. The House on the Rock














One Sabbath
The term "Sabbath" originates from the Hebrew word "Shabbat," meaning "to cease" or "to rest." The Sabbath was a day set apart by God for rest and worship, as commanded in the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:8-11). It was a sign of the covenant between God and Israel, a day to remember God's creation and deliverance. In the context of Luke 6:1, the Sabbath is significant because it sets the stage for a discussion on the nature of rest and the legalistic interpretations of the Pharisees.

Jesus
The name "Jesus" is derived from the Hebrew "Yeshua," meaning "Yahweh is salvation." Jesus, as the central figure of the New Testament, embodies the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies and the embodiment of God's redemptive plan. His actions and teachings often challenged the established religious norms, emphasizing the spirit of the law over the letter.

was passing through the grainfields
The act of passing through grainfields suggests a journey, a common motif in the Gospels where Jesus and His disciples are often on the move, spreading the message of the Kingdom of God. The grainfields symbolize the provision of God, reminiscent of the fields of Boaz in the Book of Ruth, where God's providence and care are evident.

His disciples
The disciples were followers of Jesus, chosen to learn from Him and carry on His mission. The term "disciple" comes from the Greek "mathētēs," meaning "learner" or "pupil." Their actions and interactions with Jesus provide insight into the practical application of His teachings and the challenges of living out faith in a complex world.

began to pick the heads of grain
This action, while seemingly simple, was laden with cultural and religious implications. According to Deuteronomy 23:25, it was permissible to pick grain by hand from a neighbor's field, but doing so on the Sabbath was controversial. The act of picking grain highlights the tension between human need and religious law, a recurring theme in Jesus' ministry.

rub them in their hands
Rubbing the grain in their hands was a method of threshing, separating the edible part from the chaff. This simple act was considered work by the Pharisees, who had detailed interpretations of what constituted work on the Sabbath. The disciples' actions challenge the rigid legalism of the religious leaders, pointing to a deeper understanding of God's intentions for the Sabbath.

and eat them
Eating the grain signifies the meeting of a basic human need—hunger. In the broader biblical narrative, God consistently provides for His people, from manna in the wilderness to the feeding of the 5,000. This act of eating on the Sabbath underscores the principle that human need and compassion take precedence over ritualistic observance.

VI.

(1) On the second sabbath after the first.--Literally, the second-first Sabbath. There is nothing like the phrase in any other author, and its meaning is therefore to a great extent conjectural. Its employment by St. Luke may be noted as indicating his wish to be accurate as an historian. He sought to gather, as far as he could, definite dates; and hearing, in the course of his inquiries, of this, as fixing the time of what followed, inserted it in his record.

It may be noted that the facts of the case fix limits on either side. The corn was ripe enough to be rubbed in the hands, and yield its grain. It had not yet been gathered. It could not therefore be much earlier than the Passover, when the barley harvest began, and not much later than the Pentecost, when the wheat was ripe. If it preceded, as it appears to have done (see Luke 9:12), the feeding of the Five Thousand, it must have been before the Passover (John 6:4). The conjectures, such as they are, are as follows:--

(1.) The first Sabbath of the second month of the year, taking Nisan (in which the Passover occurred) as the first month.

(2.) The first Sabbath after the second day of the Passover, that day being itself kept as a supplementary feast.

(3.) The first Sabbath in the second year of the sabbatic cycle of seven years.

(4.) As the Jewish year had two beginnings, one (the civil) reckoning from the month Tisri (including part of September and October); the other (the ecclesiastical) from Nisan, it has been supposed that the first Sabbath in Tisri was called first-first, the first in Nisan second-first.

(5.) The Sabbath in the Pentecostal week, the second chief or first Sabbath, as that in the Passover week was the first. . . .

Verses 1-11. - The Lord's teaching on the question of the observance of the sabbath. Verse 1. - And it came to pass on the second sabbath after the first. The expression accompanying this note of time of St. Luke, "the second sabbath after the first," more literally, "the second-first sabbath," has always been a difficulty with expositors of this Gospel. The word is absolutely unique, and is found in no other Greek author. Recent investigations in the text of the New Testament have proved that this word is not found in the majority of the more ancient authorities. Of the modern critical editors, Alford and Lachmann enclose the disputed word in brackets; Tregelles and Meyer omit it altogether; but the Revisers of the English Version relegate it to the margin in its literal form, "second-first;" Tischendorf alone admits it in his text. The question is of interest to the antiquarian, but scarcely of any to the theologian. It was, perhaps, introduced at an early date into many of the manuscripts of St. Luke, owing to some copyist writing n the margin of his parchment in this place "first" to distinguish this sabbath and its scene from the other sabbath alluded to four verses further on; "second" was not unlikely to have been written in correction of "first" by some other copyist using the manuscript, thinking it better thus to distinguish this from the sabbath alluded to in Luke 4:31; and thus the two corrections may have got confused in many of the primitive copies. It can scarcely be imagined, if it really formed part of the original work of St. Luke, that so remarkable a word could ever have dropped out of the text of the most ancient and trustworthy authorities. Supposing it to have been a part of the original writing, scholars have suggested many explanations. Of these the simplest and most satisfactory are:

(1) The first sabbath of each of the seven years which made a sabbatic cycle was called first, second, third, etc., sabbath. Thus the "second-first" sabbath would signify the first sabbath of the second year of the seven-years' cycle. This is Wieseler's theory.

(2) The civil year of the Jews began in autumn about mid-September to mid-October (month Tisri), and the ecclesiastical year in spring, about mid-March to mid-April (month Nisan). Thus there were every year two first sabbaths - one at the commencement of the civil year, which would be called 'first-first;' the other at the beginning of the ecclesiastical year, which would be called 'second-first. The period here alluded to by St. Luke would perfectly agree with either of these explanations. The latter theory was suggested by Louis Cappel, and is quoted with approval by Godet. And his disciples plucked the ears of corn, and did eat, rubbing them in their hands. St. Matthew adds here that they "were an hungred." This they might well have been in following the Master in his teaching in different places, even though some of their homes were nigh at hand. We have no need to introduce the question of their poverty - which, in the case of several of them at least, we know did not exist - here leading them to this method of satisfying their hunger. They had probably been out for some hours with Jesus without breaking their fast, and, finding themselves in a field of ripe corn, took this easy, present means of gratifying a natural want. The Law expressly permitted them to do this: "When thou comest into the standing corn of thy neighbour, then thou mayest pluck the ears with thine hand" (Deuteronomy 23:25).

Parallel Commentaries ...


Greek
[One] Sabbath
σαββάτῳ (sabbatō)
Noun - Dative Neuter Singular
Strong's 4521: The Sabbath, a week.

[Jesus]
αὐτὸν (auton)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Accusative Masculine 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 846: He, she, it, they, them, same. From the particle au; the reflexive pronoun self, used of the third person, and of the other persons.

was passing
διαπορεύεσθαι (diaporeuesthai)
Verb - Present Infinitive Middle or Passive
Strong's 1279: To journey through (past). From dia and poreuomai; to travel through.

through
διὰ (dia)
Preposition
Strong's 1223: A primary preposition denoting the channel of an act; through.

[the] grainfields,
σπορίμων (sporimōn)
Adjective - Genitive Neuter Plural
Strong's 4702: Sown; neut. plur: sown fields. From sporos; sown, i.e. a planted field.

and
καὶ (kai)
Conjunction
Strong's 2532: And, even, also, namely.

His
αὐτοῦ (autou)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Genitive Masculine 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 846: He, she, it, they, them, same. From the particle au; the reflexive pronoun self, used of the third person, and of the other persons.

disciples
μαθηταὶ (mathētai)
Noun - Nominative Masculine Plural
Strong's 3101: A learner, disciple, pupil. From manthano; a learner, i.e. Pupil.

began to pick
ἔτιλλον (etillon)
Verb - Imperfect Indicative Active - 3rd Person Plural
Strong's 5089: To pluck, pluck off. Perhaps akin to the alternate of haireomai, and thus to suro; to pull off.

the
τοὺς (tous)
Article - Accusative Masculine Plural
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

heads of grain,
στάχυας (stachyas)
Noun - Accusative Masculine Plural
Strong's 4719: A head of grain. From the base of histemi; a head of grain.

rub [them]
ψώχοντες (psōchontes)
Verb - Present Participle Active - Nominative Masculine Plural
Strong's 5597: To rub, rub to pieces. Prolongation from the same base as psallo; to triturate, i.e. to rub out.

in [their]
ταῖς (tais)
Article - Dative Feminine Plural
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

hands,
χερσίν (chersin)
Noun - Dative Feminine Plural
Strong's 5495: A hand.

and
καὶ (kai)
Conjunction
Strong's 2532: And, even, also, namely.

eat [them].
ἤσθιον (ēsthion)
Verb - Imperfect Indicative Active - 3rd Person Plural
Strong's 2068: Strengthened for a primary edo; used only in certain tenses, the rest being supplied by phago; to eat.


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NT Gospels: Luke 6:1 Now it happened on the second Sabbath (Luke Lu Lk)
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