Luke 17:6

Verse Luke 17:6. As a grain of mustard seed] A faith that increases and thrives as that is described to do, Matthew 13:32, where see the note. See also Matthew 17:20.

This sycamine] The words seem to intimate that they were standing by such a tree. The sycamine is probably the same as the sycamore. Sycamore with us, says Mr. Evelyn, is falsely so called, being our acer majus, greater maple. The true sycamore is the ficus Pharaonis or AEgyptia, Pharaoh's, or Egyptian fig-tree; called also, from its similitude in leaves and fruit, morosyous, or mulberry fig-tree. The Arabians call it guimez: it grows in Cyprus, Caria, Rhodes, and in Judea and Galilee, where our Lord at this time was: see Luke 17:11. St. Jerome, who was well acquainted with these countries, translates the word mulberry-tree.

Be thou plucked up by the root] Matthew 21:21, Matthew 21:21, where it is shown that this mode of speech refers to the accomplishment of things very difficult, but not impossible.