The Meaning of Luke 5:30 Explained

Luke 5:30

KJV: But their scribes and Pharisees murmured against his disciples, saying, Why do ye eat and drink with publicans and sinners?

YLT: and the scribes and the Pharisees among them were murmuring at his disciples, saying, 'Wherefore with tax-gatherers and sinners do ye eat and drink?'

Darby: And their scribes and the Pharisees murmured at his disciples, saying, Why do ye eat and drink with tax-gatherers and sinners?

ASV: And the Pharisees and their scribes murmured against his disciples, saying, Why do ye eat and drink with the publicans and sinners?

What is the context of Luke 5:30?

KJV Reverse Interlinear

But  their  scribes  and  Pharisees  murmured  against  his  disciples,  saying,  Why  do ye eat  and  drink  with  publicans  and  sinners? 

What does Luke 5:30 Mean?

Study Notes

sinners
Sin.
sinned
Sin, Summary: The literal meanings of the Heb. and (Greek - ἀλεκτοροφωνία sin," "sinner," etc)., disclose the true nature of sin in its manifold manifestations. Sin is transgression, an overstepping of the law, the divine boundary between good and evil Psalms 51:1 ; Luke 15:29 , iniquity, an act inherently wrong, whether expressly forbidden or not; error, a departure from right; Psalms 51:9 ; Romans 3:23 , missing the mark, a failure to meet the divine standard; trespass, the intrusion of self-will into the sphere of divine authority Ephesians 2:1 , lawlessness, or spiritual anarchy 1 Timothy 1:9 , unbelief, or an insult to the divine veracity John 16:9 .
Sin originated with Satan Isaiah 14:12-14 , entered the world through Adam Romans 5:12 , was, and is, universal, Christ alone excepted; Romans 3:23 ; 1 Peter 2:22 , incurs the penalties of spiritual and physical death; Genesis 2:17 ; Genesis 3:19 ; Ezekiel 18:4 ; Ezekiel 18:20 ; Romans 6:23 and has no remedy but in the sacrificial death of Christ; Hebrews 9:26 ; Acts 4:12 availed of by faith Acts 13:38 ; Acts 13:39 . Sin may be summarized as threefold: An act, the violation of, or want of obedience to the revealed will of God; a state, absence of righteousness; a nature, enmity toward God.

Context Summary

Luke 5:27-39 - Feasting And Fasting
Matthew in his Gospel says nothing of this great feast; the Spirit of God saw that it should not be forgotten. "When saw we thee an hungered, and fed thee?" Matthew 25:37. Advertise yourself and God will leave you unnoticed. You will have had your reward. Be content to do things, as Jesus appointed, and Matthew 6:4 will follow.
Let us not cling to the broken bottle-skins of the past, whether they be out-worn ceremonies, creeds or formulations of truth. Let the ferment of each great religious movement and new era express itself in its own way. We must not encourage the ill-judged speed of those who want to force the pace, and fling away the bottle-skins before they are done with. But if the bottle-skins have evidently served their purpose and lie discarded on the ground, that will not affect the vintage, which is reddening on the hills. Go and pick the fruit God is giving you, place it carefully in baskets and let it have new skins. [source]

Chapter Summary: Luke 5

1  Jesus teaches the people out of Peter's ship;
4  shows how he will make them fishers of men;
12  cleanses the leper;
16  prays in the desert;
17  heals a paralytic;
27  calls Matthew the tax collector;
29  eats with sinners, as being the physician of souls;
33  foretells the fasting and afflictions of the apostles after his ascension;
36  and illustrates the matter by the parable of patches

Greek Commentary for Luke 5:30

The Pharisees and their scribes [οι Παρισαιοι και οι γραμματεις αυτων]
Note article with each substantive and the order, not “scribes and Pharisees,” but “the Pharisees and the scribes of them” (the Pharisees). Some manuscripts omit “their,” but Mark 2:16 (the scribes of the Pharisees) shows that it is correct here. Some of the scribes were Sadducees. It is only the Pharisees who find fault here. [source]
Murmured [εγογγυζον]
Imperfect active. Picturesque onomatopoetic word that sounds like its meaning. A late word used of the cooing of doves. It is like the buzzing of bees, like τοντορρυζω — tonthorruzō of literary Greek. They were not invited to this feast and would not have come if they had been. But, not being invited, they hang on the outside and criticize the disciples of Jesus for being there. The crowd was so large that the feast may have been served out in the open court at Levi‘s house, a sort of reclining garden party.The publicans and sinners (των τελωνων και αμαρτωλων — tōn telōnōn kai hamartōlōn). Here Luke is quoting the criticism of the critics. Note one article making one group of all of them. [source]
The publicans and sinners [των τελωνων και αμαρτωλων]
Here Luke is quoting the criticism of the critics. Note one article making one group of all of them. [source]

Reverse Greek Commentary Search for Luke 5:30

Mark 2:16 The scribes of the Pharisees [οι γραμματεις των Παρισαιων]
This is the correct text. Cf. “their scribes” in Luke 5:30. Matthew gave a great reception These publicans and sinners not simply accepted Levi‘s invitation, but they imitated his example “and were following Jesus” It was a motly crew from the standpoint of these young theologues, scribes of the Pharisees, who were on hand, being invited to pick flaws if they could. It was probably in the long hall of the house where the scribes stood and ridiculed Jesus and the disciples, unless they stood outside, feeling too pious to go into the house of a publican. It was an offence for a Jew to eat with Gentiles as even many of the early Jewish Christians felt (Acts 11:3) and publicans and sinners were regarded like Gentiles (1 Corinthians 5:11). [source]
Luke 15:1 All the publicans and sinners [παντες οι τελωναι και οι αμαρτωλοι]
The two articles separate the two classes (all the publicans and the sinners). They are sometimes grouped together (Luke 5:30; Matthew 9:11), but not here. The publicans are put on the same level with the outcasts or sinners. So in Luke 14:2 the repeated article separates Pharisees and scribes as not quite one. The use of “all” here may be hyperbole for very many or the reference may be to these two classes in the particular place where Jesus was from time to time. [source]
Luke 15:2 Murmured [διαγογγυζω]
Imperfect active of δια — diagogguzō late Greek compound in the lxx and Byzantine writers. In the N.T. only here and Luke 19:7. The force of ουτος — dia here is probably between or among themselves. It spread (imperfect tense) whenever these two classes came in contact with Jesus. As the publicans and the sinners were drawing near to Jesus just in that proportion the Pharisees and the scribes increased their murmurings. The social breach is here an open yawning chasm.This man (προσδεχεται — houtos). A contemptuous sneer in the use of the pronoun. They spoke out openly and probably pointed at Jesus.Receiveth Present middle indicative of the common verb υπεδεχατο — prosdechomai In Luke 12:36 we had it for expecting, here it is to give access to oneself, to welcome like και συνεστιει αυτοις — hupedexato of Martha‘s welcome to Jesus (Luke 10:38). The charge here is that this is the habit of Jesus. He shows no sense of social superiority to these outcasts (like the Hindu “untouchables” in India).And eateth with them (αυτοις — kai sunesthiei autois). Associative instrumental case (συν — autois) after πιλος — sun - in composition. This is an old charge (Luke 5:30) and a much more serious breach from the standpoint of the Pharisees. The implication is that Jesus prefers these outcasts to the respectable classes (the Pharisees and the scribes) because he is like them in character and tastes, even with the harlots. There was a sting in the charge that he was the “friend” (philos) of publicans and sinners (Luke 7:34). [source]
Luke 15:2 Receiveth [προσδεχομαι]
Present middle indicative of the common verb υπεδεχατο — prosdechomai In Luke 12:36 we had it for expecting, here it is to give access to oneself, to welcome like και συνεστιει αυτοις — hupedexato of Martha‘s welcome to Jesus (Luke 10:38). The charge here is that this is the habit of Jesus. He shows no sense of social superiority to these outcasts (like the Hindu “untouchables” in India).And eateth with them (αυτοις — kai sunesthiei autois). Associative instrumental case (συν — autois) after πιλος — sun - in composition. This is an old charge (Luke 5:30) and a much more serious breach from the standpoint of the Pharisees. The implication is that Jesus prefers these outcasts to the respectable classes (the Pharisees and the scribes) because he is like them in character and tastes, even with the harlots. There was a sting in the charge that he was the “friend” (philos) of publicans and sinners (Luke 7:34). [source]
Luke 15:2 And eateth with them [αυτοις]
Associative instrumental case (συν — autois) after πιλος — sun - in composition. This is an old charge (Luke 5:30) and a much more serious breach from the standpoint of the Pharisees. The implication is that Jesus prefers these outcasts to the respectable classes (the Pharisees and the scribes) because he is like them in character and tastes, even with the harlots. There was a sting in the charge that he was the “friend” (philos) of publicans and sinners (Luke 7:34). [source]
Luke 19:7 Murmured [διεγογγυζοντο]
Imperfect middle of this compound onomatopoetic word διαγογγυζω — dia -γογγυζω — gogguzō In Luke 5:30 we have the simple δια — gogguzō a late word like the cooing doves or the hum of bees. This compound with καταλυσαι — dia - is still rarer, but more expressive. [source]
Luke 5:29 Publicans and others [τελωνων και αλλων]
Luke declines here to use “sinners” like Mark 2:15 and Matthew 9:10 though he does so in Luke 5:30 and in Luke 15:1. None but social outcasts would eat with publicans at such a feast or barbecue, for it was a very large affair.Were sitting at meat with them (ησαν μετ αυτων κατακειμενοι — ēsan met' autōn katakeimenoi). Literally, were reclining with them (Jesus and the disciples). It was a motley crew that Levi had brought together, but he showed courage as well as loyalty to Jesus. [source]
John 8:3 The scribes and the Pharisees [οι γραμματεις και οι Παρισαιοι]
John does not mention “scribes,” though this combination (note two articles) is common enough in the Synoptics (Luke 5:30; Luke 6:7, etc.). Bring Vivid dramatic present active indicative of αγω — agō Dods calls this “in itself an unlawful thing to do” since they had a court for the trial of such a case. Their purpose is to entrap Jesus. Taken in adultery Perfect passive participle of καταλαμβανω — katalambanō old compound to seize (Mark 9:18), to catch, to overtake (John 12:35), to overcome (or overtake) in John 1:5. Having let her in the midst First aorist active (transitive) participle of ιστημι — histēmi Here all could see her and what Jesus did with such a case. They knew his proneness to forgive sinners. [source]

What do the individual words in Luke 5:30 mean?

And were grumbling the Pharisees scribes of them at the disciples of Him saying Because of why with the tax collectors sinners do you eat drink
καὶ ἐγόγγυζον οἱ Φαρισαῖοι γραμματεῖς αὐτῶν πρὸς τοὺς μαθητὰς αὐτοῦ λέγοντες Διὰ τί μετὰ τῶν τελωνῶν ἁμαρτωλῶν ἐσθίετε πίνετε

ἐγόγγυζον  were  grumbling 
Parse: Verb, Imperfect Indicative Active, 3rd Person Plural
Root: γογγύζω  
Sense: to murmur, mutter, grumble, say anything against in a low tone.
Φαρισαῖοι  Pharisees 
Parse: Noun, Nominative Masculine Plural
Root: Φαρισαῖος  
Sense: A sect that seems to have started after the Jewish exile.
γραμματεῖς  scribes 
Parse: Noun, Nominative Masculine Plural
Root: γραμματεύς  
Sense: a clerk, scribe, esp.
αὐτῶν  of  them 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Genitive Masculine 3rd Person Plural
Root: αὐτός  
Sense: himself, herself, themselves, itself.
πρὸς  at 
Parse: Preposition
Root: πρός  
Sense: to the advantage of.
μαθητὰς  disciples 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Masculine Plural
Root: μαθητής  
Sense: a learner, pupil, disciple.
αὐτοῦ  of  Him 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Genitive Masculine 3rd Person Singular
Root: αὐτός  
Sense: himself, herself, themselves, itself.
λέγοντες  saying 
Parse: Verb, Present Participle Active, Nominative Masculine Plural
Root: λέγω 
Sense: to say, to speak.
Διὰ  Because  of 
Parse: Preposition
Root: διά  
Sense: through.
τί  why 
Parse: Interrogative / Indefinite Pronoun, Accusative Neuter Singular
Root: τίς  
Sense: who, which, what.
τελωνῶν  tax  collectors 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Masculine Plural
Root: τελώνης  
Sense: a renter or farmer of taxes.
ἁμαρτωλῶν  sinners 
Parse: Adjective, Genitive Masculine Plural
Root: ἁμαρτωλός  
Sense: devoted to sin, a sinner.
ἐσθίετε  do  you  eat 
Parse: Verb, Present Indicative Active, 2nd Person Plural
Root: ἐσθίω 
Sense: to eat.
πίνετε  drink 
Parse: Verb, Present Indicative Active, 2nd Person Plural
Root: πίνω  
Sense: to drink.