Cambridge Greek Testament Commentary

Luke 7:6

ἔπεμψεν … φίλους. These ‘friends’ were perhaps brother-officers, not Jews. Here the narrative of St Luke is much more detailed, and therefore probably more exact, than that of St Matthew, who represents the conversation as taking place between our Lord and the centurion himself. we see from St Luke that he had been prevented from coming in person by deep humility, and the belief that the elders would be more likely to win the boon for him. Meanwhile, he probably stayed by the bedside of his dying slave. St Matthew’s narrative is framed on the simple and common principle, qui facit per alium facit per se.

κύριε. The word in itself may mean no more than ‘Sir,’ as in John 4:19; John 12:21; Acts 16:30, &c. It was, in fact, like the Latin dominus, an ordinary mode of address to persons whose names were unknown (Sen. Ephesians 3); but the centurion’s entire conduct shews that on his lips the word had a more exalted significance. In a special sense Κύριος is a name for God (Adonai) and Jehovah (1 Thessalonians 5:2, &c.).

μὴ σκύλλου. ‘Bother not,’ or ‘worry not thyself.’ But in Hellenistic Greek, both slang words (ὑπωπιάζω, Luke 18:5; καταναρκάω 2 Corinthians 12:13) and purely poetic words (see Luke 2:35) had become current in ordinary senses. Σκύλλω only occurs as a var. lect. (‘worried sheep’) in Matthew 9:36, in Luke 8:49, and in the parallel (Mark 5:35). Its first meaning is to flay.

ἱκανός. Lit. sufficient.

ὑπὸ τὴν στέγην μου. “I am not worthy”—Dicendo se indignum praestitit dignum non in cujus parietes sed in cujus cor Christus intraret. Aug.

ἐμαυτόν. ‘I did not even think myself worthy to come; I sent my friends to represent me.’

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Cambridge Greek Testament Commentary

Luke 7:6

Old Testament

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