The Meaning of Luke 22:38 Explained

Luke 22:38

KJV: And they said, Lord, behold, here are two swords. And he said unto them, It is enough.

YLT: And they said, 'Sir, lo, here are two swords;' and he said to them, 'It is sufficient.'

Darby: And they said, Lord, behold here are two swords. And he said to them, It is enough.

ASV: And they said, Lord, behold, here are two swords. And he said unto them, It is enough.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And  they said,  Lord,  behold,  here  [are] two  swords.  And  he said  unto them,  It is  enough. 

What does Luke 22:38 Mean?

Verse Meaning

The disciples evidently took Jesus" words about buying swords literally. They produced two that they had already acquired. They had understood Jesus" earlier warnings about what lay ahead of Him in Jerusalem and had armed themselves to this extent. This was not Jesus" intention.
Some interpret "It (or That) is enough" as meaning two swords would be adequate in view of the coming conflict. This does not seem to be what Jesus meant since He later rebuked Peter for using even one sword to defend Him ( Luke 22:49-51; cf. Matthew 26:52). Furthermore two swords would not be enough to defend Jesus against arrest. Others interpret Jesus as having meant that the possession of two swords was enough to identify Jesus and the disciples as criminals and so fulfill Isaiah 53:12. [1] However it was not the possession of swords that identified Jesus as a criminal but the false charges that He had claimed to be a king opposed to Caesar. Probably Jesus meant that He wished to pursue the discussion no further. [2] The disciples had misunderstood Him. They would only learn what He meant later as they would learn the meaning of many other things that He had taught them that they had failed to perceive. The expression occurs often in the Old Testament in this sense (cf. Genesis 45:28; Exodus 9:28; Deuteronomy 3:26; 1 Kings 19:4; 1 Chronicles 21:15).
Luke probably included this part of Jesus" conversation with His disciples because it is a sober warning to all disciples of our need for personal spiritual preparation. We all face essentially what the Eleven did. We must not rely on physical defenses in spiritual warfare but make responsible preparations and arm ourselves with the resources that only God can provide (cf. Ephesians 6:10-20). The disciples slept in Gethsemane when they should have been praying ( Luke 22:40; Luke 22:46). Likewise we often fail to ask God to help us and instead rely on our own resources.

Context Summary

Luke 22:35-46 - Drinking The Cup For Others
Our Lord knew to what He was going. All lay naked and open before His eyes. He laid down His life of Himself; but in this supreme act of love He suffered beyond words. It was not that He feared physical pain, but it was the horror of standing before the universe identified with the sin and sorrow of the world, as though these were His own.
In these instructions to His Apostles, as to wallet, purse and sword, we must understand that He meant them to realize that the storm was about to burst upon them with furious intensity.
Some think that our Lord prayed most of all that His body should not give way under His awful anguish. He feared lest He should die before He could reach the Cross! See Hebrews 5:7. "Oh, my Lord, thy chosen disciples failed thee in that hour; but so have we! What can we say! Help us to share thy vigil and thy prayer!" [source]

Chapter Summary: Luke 22

1  The leaders conspire against Jesus
3  Satan prepares Judas to betray him
7  The apostles prepare the Passover
19  Jesus institutes his holy supper;
21  covertly foretells of the traitor;
24  rebukes the rest of his apostles from ambition;
31  assures Peter his faith should not fail;
34  and yet he should deny him thrice
39  He prays in the mount, and sweats blood;
47  is betrayed with a kiss;
50  he heals Malchus' ear;
54  he is thrice denied by Peter;
63  shamefully abused;
66  and confesses himself to be the Son of God

Greek Commentary for Luke 22:38

Lord, behold, here are two swords [κυριε ιδου μαχαιραι ωδε δυο]
They took his words literally. And before this very night is over Peter will use one of these very swords to try to cut off the head of Malchus only to be sternly rebuked by Jesus (Mark 14:47; Matthew 26:51.; Luke 22:50.; John 18:10.). Then Jesus will say: “For all that take the sword shall perish with the sword” (Matthew 26:52). Clearly Jesus did not mean his language even about the sword to be pressed too literally. So he said: “It is enough” It is with sad irony and sorrow that Jesus thus dismisses the subject. They were in no humour now to understand the various sides of this complicated problem. Every preacher and teacher understands this mood, not of impatience, but of closing the subject for the present. [source]

Reverse Greek Commentary Search for Luke 22:38

Matthew 26:51 One of them that were with Jesus [εις των μετα Ιησου]
Like the other Synoptics Matthew conceals the name of Peter, probably for prudential reasons as he was still living before a.d. 68. John writing at the end of the century mentions Peter‘s name (John 18:10). The sword or knife was one of the two that the disciples had (Luke 22:38). Bruce suggests that it was a large knife used in connexion with the paschal feast. Evidently Peter aimed to cut off the man‘s head, not his ear He may have been the leader of the band. His name, Malchus, is also given by John (John 18:10) because Peter was then dead and in no danger. [source]
Matthew 26:52 Put up again thy sword [αποστρεπσον την μαχαιραν σου]
Turn back thy sword into its place. It was a stern rebuke for Peter who had misunderstood the teaching of Jesus in Luke 22:38 as well as in Matthew 5:39 (cf. John 18:36). The reason given by Jesus has had innumerable illustrations in human history. The sword calls for the sword. Offensive war is here given flat condemnation. The Paris Pact of 1928 (the Kellogg Treaty) is certainly in harmony with the mind of Christ. The will to peace is the first step towards peace, the outlawing of war. Our American cities are often ruled by gangsters who kill each other off. [source]
Luke 22:49 Shall we smite with a sword? [ει παταχομεν εν μαχαιρηι]
Note ει — ei in a direct question like the Hebrew. Luke alone gives this question. Instrumental use of εν — en They had the two swords already mentioned (Luke 22:38). [source]
John 18:10 Having a sword [εχων μαχαιραν]
It was unlawful to carry a weapon on a feast-day, but Peter had become alarmed at Christ‘s words about his peril. They had two swords or knives in the possession of the eleven according to Luke (Luke 22:38). After the treacherous kiss of Judas (on the hand or the cheek?) the disciples asked: “Lord, shall we smite with the sword?” (Luke 22:49). Apparently before Jesus could answer Peter with his usual impulsiveness jerked out For ωταριον — ōtarion diminutive of ους — ous see Mark 14:47 (only other N.T. example), another diminutive ωτιον — ōtion in Matthew 26:51 (Mark 14:47; Luke 22:51). [source]

What do the individual words in Luke 22:38 mean?

- And they said Lord behold swords here [are] two - He said to them Enough it is
Οἱ δὲ εἶπαν Κύριε ἰδοὺ μάχαιραι ὧδε δύο εἶπεν αὐτοῖς Ἱκανόν ἐστιν

Οἱ  - 
Parse: Article, Nominative Masculine Plural
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
εἶπαν  they  said 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Active, 3rd Person Plural
Root: λέγω  
Sense: to speak, say.
Κύριε  Lord 
Parse: Noun, Vocative Masculine Singular
Root: κύριος  
Sense: he to whom a person or thing belongs, about which he has power of deciding; master, lord.
ἰδοὺ  behold 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Imperative Active, 2nd Person Singular
Root: ἰδού  
Sense: behold, see, lo.
μάχαιραι  swords 
Parse: Noun, Nominative Feminine Plural
Root: μάχαιρα  
Sense: a large knife, used for killing animals and cutting up flesh.
ὧδε  here  [are] 
Parse: Adverb
Root: ὧδε  
Sense: here, to this place, etc.
δύο  two 
Parse: Adjective, Nominative Feminine Plural
Root: δύο 
Sense: the two, the twain.
  - 
Parse: Article, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
εἶπεν  He  said 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: λέγω  
Sense: to speak, say.
αὐτοῖς  to  them 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Dative Masculine 3rd Person Plural
Root: αὐτός  
Sense: himself, herself, themselves, itself.
Ἱκανόν  Enough 
Parse: Adjective, Nominative Neuter Singular
Root: ἱκανός  
Sense: sufficient.
ἐστιν  it  is 
Parse: Verb, Present Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: εἰμί  
Sense: to be, to exist, to happen, to be present.