Luke 10:33

But a certain Samaritan,— Though the priest and Levite had passed by their distressed brother, a Samaritan, who happened to come by that way, shewed a different example: seeing a fellow-creature lying on the road, naked and wounded, he went up to him; and though he found it was one of a different nation, who professed a religion opposite to his own, nevertheless, the violent hatred which had been instilled into his mind from his earliest years towards all who professed that religion, with every other objection, was immediately silenced by the feelings of pity, awakened at the sight of the man's distress. His bowels yearned towards the Jew; he hastened with great tenderness to give him assistance. Some writers tell us, that the hatred between the Jews and Samaritans rose so high, that if a Jew and a Samaritan met in a narrow way, they were exceedingly solicitous that they might pass without touching each other, for fear of pollution on either side. This circumstance serves as a beautiful illustration of the humanity of this good Samaritan, who not only touched the Jew, but took so much pains to dress his wounds, and set him on his own beast; supporting him in his arms as he rode, as well as making such kind provision for him in the inn. It seems this humane traveller, according to the custom of those times, carried his provisions along with him, (see the next note,) for he was able, though in the fields, to give the wounded man some wine to recruit his spirits: moreover, he carefully bound up his wounds, soaking the bandages with a mixture of wine and oil, which he poured on them, and which is of a medicinal quality; and then, setting him on his own beast, he walked by him, and supported him. As the Jew was stripped by the robbers, it is probable that the Samaritan used some of his own garments for the binding up of his wounds, which was a further instance of his goodness;—perhaps tearing them to make a more convenient bandage. The reader will find an account of the use which the ancients made of wine and oil for dressing fresh wounds, in Bos's Exercitations, p. 24 and Wolfius on the text.