The Meaning of Luke 14:5 Explained

Luke 14:5

KJV: And answered them, saying, Which of you shall have an ass or an ox fallen into a pit, and will not straightway pull him out on the sabbath day?

YLT: and answering them he said, 'Of which of you shall an ass or ox fall into a pit, and he will not immediately draw it up on the sabbath-day?'

Darby: And answering he said to them, Of which of you shall an ass or ox fall into a well, that he does not straightway pull him up on the sabbath day?

ASV: And he said unto them, Which of you shall have an ass or an ox fallen into a well, and will not straightway draw him up on a sabbath day?

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And  answered  them,  saying,  Which  of you  shall have an ass  or  an ox  fallen  into  a pit,  and  will  not  straightway  pull  him  out  on  the sabbath  day? 

What does Luke 14:5 Mean?

Context Summary

Luke 14:1-6 - The Lament For Those Who "would Not"
Our Lord was at that time in Perea, in the jurisdiction of Herod, who probably desired to get rid of Him, lest His presence should introduce political complications. Our Lord saw through and exposed his stratagem. How awful to be read by the light of divine purity! He also kept His eye on heaven's dial-plate, and knew that He was immortal till His work was done.
Jerusalem was clearly indicated as the scene of His death; and the city was already so deeply dyed with martyr blood that it would hardly have been congruous for Him to suffer anywhere else. Note that pathetic wail of disappointed love. God's brooding love desires to interpose between us and the hovering peril; but we have the awful power to neglect or reject the covering wings of the Shechinah. See Ruth 2:12 and Psalms 91:4.
In Luke 14:1-6 we have a specimen of Christ's table-talk, which He continues through the Luke 14:24. Though He knew that He was being watched, nothing could stanch His power and love. If men care for their beasts, how much more will Christ care for men! [source]

Chapter Summary: Luke 14

1  Jesus heals the dropsy on the Sabbath;
7  teaches humility;
12  to feast the poor;
15  under the parable of the great supper,
23  shows how worldly minded men shall be shut out of heaven
25  Those who will be his disciples, to bear their cross must make their accounts beforehand,
31  lest with shame they revolt from him afterward;
34  and become altogether unprofitable, like salt that has lost its flavor

Greek Commentary for Luke 14:5

An ass or an ox [ονος η βους]
But Westcott and Hort υιος η βους — huios ē bous (a son or an ox). The manuscripts are much divided between υιος — huios (son) and ονος — onos (ass) which in the abbreviated uncials looked much alike (TC, OC) and were much alike. The sentence in the Greek reads literally thus: Whose ox or ass of you shall fall (πεσειται — peseitai future middle of πιπτο — pipto) into a well and he (the man) will not straightway draw him up (ανασπασει — anaspasei future active of ανασπαω — anaspaō) on the sabbath day? The very form of the question is a powerful argument and puts the lawyers and the Pharisees hopelessly on the defensive. [source]
Pit [φρέαρ]
The primary meaning is a well as distinguished from a fountain. [source]
Pull out []
More correctly up ( ἀνά )i1. [source]

Reverse Greek Commentary Search for Luke 14:5

John 4:6 Well [πηγὴ]
Strictly, spring. The word for cistern or well is φρέαρ , which John uses at John 4:11, John 4:12. Elsewhere in the New Testament always of a pit. See Luke 14:5; Revelation 9:1, Revelation 9:2. There is no mention of Jacob's Well in the Old Testament. The traditional well still remains. “At the mouth of the valley of Schechem two slight breaks are visible in the midst of the vast plain of corn - one a white Mussulman chapel; the other a few fragments of stone. The first of these covers the alleged tomb of Joseph, … the second marks the undisputed site of the well, now neglected and choked up by the ruins which have fallen into it; but still with every claim to be considered the original well” (Stanley, “Sinai and Palestine”). Dr. Thomson says: “I could see nothing like a well - nothing but a low, modern wall, much broken down, and never, apparently, more than ten feet high. The area enclosed by it is fifty-six paces from east to west, and sixty-five from north to south. The surface is covered by a confused mass of shapeless rubbish, overgrown with weeds and nettles … . The well is near the southeastern corner of the area, and, to reach the mouth of it, one must let himself down, with some risk, about ten feet into a low vault” (“Land and Book”). Dr. Thomson also remarks upon the great discrepancy in the measurements of the well by different tourists, owing to the accumulations of stones and debris from the ruins of the buildings which formerly covered it. “All confirm the saying of the Samaritan woman that 'the well is deep.'” Maundrell, in 1697, makes the depth one hundred and five feet, with fifteen feet of water. Mr. Calhoun, in 1838, found nearly the same depth of water. Dr. Wilson, in 1841, found the depth only seventy-five feet, which is confirmed by the later measurements of Captain Anderson in 1866, and of Lieutenant Conder in 1875. [source]
Acts 11:10 Was drawn up [ανεσπαστη]
Instead of ανελημπτη — anelēmpthē (was taken up) in Acts 10:16. First aorist passive indicative of ανασπαω — anaspaō old verb, but in N.T. only in Luke 14:5 and here. [source]
Revelation 9:1 Of the bottomless pit [τοῦ φρέατος τῆς ἀβύσσου]
Rev., of the pit of the abyss. See on John 4:6, and compare Luke 14:5. It is not however a pit that is locked, but the long shaft leading to the abyss, like a well-shaft, which, in the East, is oftener covered and locked. [source]
Revelation 9:1 Fallen [πεπτωκοτα]
Perfect active participle of πιπτω — piptō already down. In Luke 10:18 note πεσοντα — pesonta (constative aorist active, like a flash of lightning) after ετεωρουν — etheōroun and in Revelation 7:2 note αναβαινοντα — anabainonta (present active and linear, coming up, picturing the process) after ειδον — eidon the pit of the abyss Αβυσσος — Abussos is an old adjective (alpha privative and βυτος — buthos depth, without depth), but η αβυσσος — hē abussos (supply χωρα — chōra place), the bottomless place. It occurs in Romans 10:7 for the common receptacle of the dead for Hades (Sheol), but in Luke 8:31 a lower depth is sounded (Swete), for the abode of demons, and in this sense it occurs in Revelation 9:1, Revelation 9:2, Revelation 9:11; Revelation 11:7; Revelation 17:8; Revelation 20:1, Revelation 20:3. Πρεαρ — Phrear is an old word for well or cistern (Luke 14:5; John 4:11.) and it occurs in Revelation 9:1. for the mouth of the abyss which is pictured as a cistern with a narrow orifice at the entrance and this fifth angel holds the key to it. [source]

What do the individual words in Luke 14:5 mean?

And to them He said Which of you a son or an ox into a pit will fall also not immediately he will pull up him on day the Sabbath
καὶ πρὸς αὐτοὺς εἶπεν Τίνος ὑμῶν υἱὸς βοῦς εἰς φρέαρ πεσεῖται καὶ οὐκ εὐθέως ἀνασπάσει αὐτὸν ἐν ἡμέρᾳ τοῦ σαββάτου

εἶπεν  He  said 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: λέγω  
Sense: to speak, say.
ὑμῶν  of  you 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Genitive 2nd Person Plural
Root: σύ  
Sense: you.
υἱὸς  a  son 
Parse: Noun, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: υἱός  
Sense: a son.
βοῦς  an  ox 
Parse: Noun, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: βοῦς  
Sense: an ox, a cow.
εἰς  into 
Parse: Preposition
Root: εἰς  
Sense: into, unto, to, towards, for, among.
φρέαρ  a  pit 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Neuter Singular
Root: φρέαρ  
Sense: a well.
πεσεῖται  will  fall 
Parse: Verb, Future Indicative Middle, 3rd Person Singular
Root: πίπτω 
Sense: to descend from a higher place to a lower.
καὶ  also 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: καί  
Sense: and, also, even, indeed, but.
εὐθέως  immediately 
Parse: Adverb
Root: εὐθέως  
Sense: straightway, immediately, forthwith.
ἀνασπάσει  he  will  pull  up 
Parse: Verb, Future Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: ἀνασπάω  
Sense: to draw up.
ἡμέρᾳ  day 
Parse: Noun, Dative Feminine Singular
Root: ἡμέρα  
Sense: the day, used of the natural day, or the interval between sunrise and sunset, as distinguished from and contrasted with the night.
σαββάτου  Sabbath 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Neuter Singular
Root: σάββατον  
Sense: the seventh day of each week which was a sacred festival on which the Israelites were required to abstain from all work.

What are the major concepts related to Luke 14:5?

Loading Information...