Expositor's Greek Testament (Nicoll)

Luke 9:46

εἰσῆλθε διαλογισμὸς, now there entered in among them (the Twelve) a thought. Lk.'s way of introducing this subject seems to show a desire, by way of sparing the future Apostles, to make as little of it as possible. It is merely a thought of the heart (τῆς καρδίας, Luke 9:47), not a dispute as in Mk., and inferentially also in Mt. It came into their minds, how or why does not appear. Mk.'s narrative leads us to connect the dispute with Christ's foreboding references to His Passion. While they walked along the way (ἐν τῇ ὁδῷ), the Master thinking always, and speaking often, of His death, they, realising that a crisis of some sort was approaching but not knowing its nature, discussed the question τίς μείζων; so supplying the comic side of the tragic drama. τὸ τίς, etc., this, viz., who might be the greater of them, or, who might be greater than they. αὐτῶν may be taken either partitively, or as a genitive of comparison. It is ordinarily taken in the former sense, whereby Lk.'s account is brought into line with the parallels; but Weiss (Mk.-Evang., also J. Weiss in Meyer) contends for the latter. His idea is that the Twelve, in Lk.'s view, were all conscious of their common importance as disciples of Jesus, and wondered if anybody could be greater than they all were. He connects the “thought” of the Twelve with the exorcist incident (Luke 9:49) as evincing a similar self-importance. This view cannot be negatived on purely exegetical grounds.

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Expositor's Greek Testament (Nicoll)

Luke 9:46

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