The Meaning of Luke 7:13 Explained

Luke 7:13

KJV: And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her, and said unto her, Weep not.

YLT: And the Lord having seen her, was moved with compassion towards her, and said to her, 'Be not weeping;'

Darby: And the Lord, seeing her, was moved with compassion for her, and said to her, Weep not;

ASV: And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her, and said unto her, Weep not.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And  when the Lord  saw  her,  he had compassion  on  her,  and  said  unto her,  Weep  not. 

What does Luke 7:13 Mean?

Verse Meaning

This is Luke"s first narrative use of the term "the Lord" for Jesus (cf. Luke 7:19; Luke 10:1; Luke 10:39; Luke 10:41; Luke 11:39; Luke 12:42; Luke 13:15; Luke 17:5-6; Luke 18:6; Luke 19:8; Luke 22:61; Luke 24:3; Luke 24:34). It anticipates the title the early Christians gave Him (e.g, Acts 2:36), and in this story it anticipates the remarkable demonstration of His sovereignty that followed.
Luke noted Jesus" compassion for the woman, one of his characteristic emphases. The Lord"s words expressed His compassion, but they proved to be far from merely hollow words of encouragement. He would shortly give her reason not to weep but to rejoice.

Context Summary

Luke 7:11-23 - "god Hath Visited His People"
Nain lay near the plain of Esdraelon, on the slopes of Little Hermon. Two confluent streams met there-those with Christ and those with death, Luke 7:11-12. He wipes away tears by removing the cause. When the young are being borne by their young companions to graves of sin, it is thus that the Master arrests them. See Ephesians 5:14. There was a threefold gradation in the power He put forth-to Jairus' daughter, just dead; to this young man, on the way to burial; and to Lazarus, who was three days dead. The depression from John's long confinement in the gloomy fortress of Machaerus, east of the Dead Sea, and the fact that Jesus had not sent to deliver him, were the double root of this sad lapse from the position taken up on the Jordan bank, when he recognized and indicated the Lamb of God. But our Lord did not chide; He understood, Psalms 103:9. His miracles of mercy and power are His best evidences, and He left John to draw his own conclusions, Isaiah 35:5-6. May ours be the blessedness of the un-offended, who will trust Christ, even though He does not hasten to deliver them just as they had hoped! [source]

Chapter Summary: Luke 7

1  Jesus finds a greater faith in the centurion;
10  heals his servant, being absent;
11  raises from death the widow's son at Nain;
18  answers John's messengers with the declaration of his miracles;
24  testifies to the people what opinion he held of John;
31  compares this generation to the children in the marketplaces,
36  and allowing his feet to be washed and anointed by a woman who was a sinner,
44  he shows how he is a friend to sinners, to forgive them their sins, upon their repentance

Greek Commentary for Luke 7:13

The Lord saw her [ιδων αυτην ο κυριος]
The Lord of Life confronts death (Plummer) and Luke may use Κυριος — Kurios here purposely. [source]
Had compassion [εσπλαγχτη]
First aorist (ingressive) passive indicative of σπλαγχνιζομαι — splagchnizomai Often love and pity are mentioned as the motives for Christ‘s miracles (Matthew 14:14; Matthew 15:32, etc.). It is confined to the Synoptics in the N.T. and about Christ save in the parables by Christ.Weep not (μη κλαιε — mē klaie). Present imperative in a prohibition. Cease weeping. [source]
Weep not [μη κλαιε]
Present imperative in a prohibition. Cease weeping. [source]
The Lord []
See on Matthew 21:3. [source]
Saw her []
Edersheim says, “Had it been in Judaea, the hired mourners and musicians would have preceded the bier; in Galilee they followed. First came the women; for, as an ancient Jewish commentary explains, woman, who brought death into our world, ought to lead the way in the funeral procession” (“Jewish Social Life”). [source]
Had compassion [ἐσπλαγχνίσθη]
From σπλάγχνα , the nobler entrails, regarded as the seat of the affections. See on pitiful, 1 Peter 3:8. [source]

What do the individual words in Luke 7:13 mean?

And having seen her the Lord was moved with compassion on her said to her Not weep
καὶ ἰδὼν αὐτὴν Κύριος ἐσπλαγχνίσθη ἐπ’ αὐτῇ εἶπεν αὐτῇ Μὴ κλαῖε

ἰδὼν  having  seen 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Participle Active, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: εἶδον 
Sense: to see with the eyes.
αὐτὴν  her 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Accusative Feminine 3rd Person Singular
Root: αὐτός  
Sense: himself, herself, themselves, itself.
Κύριος  Lord 
Parse: Noun, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: κύριος  
Sense: he to whom a person or thing belongs, about which he has power of deciding; master, lord.
ἐσπλαγχνίσθη  was  moved  with  compassion 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Passive, 3rd Person Singular
Root: σπλαγχνίζομαι  
Sense: to be moved as to one’s bowels, hence to be moved with compassion, have compassion (for the bowels were thought to be the seat of love and pity).
αὐτῇ  her 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Dative Feminine 3rd Person Singular
Root: αὐτός  
Sense: himself, herself, themselves, itself.
εἶπεν  said 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: λέγω  
Sense: to speak, say.
αὐτῇ  to  her 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Dative Feminine 3rd Person Singular
Root: αὐτός  
Sense: himself, herself, themselves, itself.
κλαῖε  weep 
Parse: Verb, Present Imperative Active, 2nd Person Singular
Root: κλαίω  
Sense: to mourn, weep, lament.