The Pulpit Commentary - Luke 13:8
And he answering said unto him, Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it, and dung it . The last year—the year of grace they who listened to him then were living in. It was the last summons to repentance, the final reminder to the old covenant people that to their high privileges as the chosen race there were duties attached. They prided themselves on the privileges, they utterly forgot the duties. The period represented by this last year included the preaching of John... read more
The Pulpit Commentary - Luke 13:7
Behold, these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and find none . Some expositors see in this period of three years an allusion to the storied past of Hebrew life, and in the number 3 discern the three marked epochs, each lasting several centuries, of the high priests, judges, and kings. This, however, is a very doubtful reference, owing to the impossibility of separating the first two periods of the rule of high priests and judges, as these interchange and overlap each other.... read more