Luke 4:23

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Luke 4:14-30

After Christ had vanquished the evil spirit, he made it appear how much he was under the influence of the good Spirit; and, having defended himself against the devil's assaults, he now begins to act offensively, and to make those attacks upon him, by his preaching and miracles, which he could not resist or repel. Observe, I. What is here said in general of his preaching, and the entertainment it met with in Galilee, a remote part of the country, distant from Jerusalem; it was a part of... read more

William Barclay

William Barclay's Daily Study Bible - Luke 4:16-30

4:16-30 So Jesus came to Nazareth where he had been brought up; and, as was his habit, he went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and he stood up to read the lesson. The roll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He opened the roll and found the passage where it is written, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has anointed me to bring the Good News to the poor. He has sent me to announce release to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Luke 4:23

And he said unto them, ye will surely say unto me this proverb ,.... Or "parable"; for any pithy sentence, or proverbial expression, was, by the Jews, called a parable: physician heal thyself ; and which was a proverb in use with the Jews; and which is sometimes expressed thus, זיל אסי נפשך , "go heal thyself" F13 Zohar in Exod. fol. 31. 2. ; and sometimes in this form, אסיא אסי חגרתך , "physician, heal thy lameness" F14 Bereshit Rabba, sect. 23. fol. 20. 4. : the... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Luke 4:23

Physician, heal thyself - That is, heal the broken-hearted in thy own country, as the latter clause of the verse explains it; but they were far from being in a proper spirit to receive the salvation which he was ready to communicate; and therefore they were not healed. read more

John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Luke 4:23

Verse 23 23.Physician, heal thyself From the words of Christ it may be easily inferred, that he was treated with contempt by the inhabitants of Nazareth: for he states publicly those thoughts, which he knew to exist in their minds. He afterwards imputes to them the blame of his declining to work miracles among them, and charges them with malice, in bestowing no honor on a prophet of God. The objection, which he anticipates, is this: “There is no reason to wonder, if his countrymen hold him in... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Luke 4:14-30

THE PREACHING OF JESUS AT NAZARETH , AND ITS RESULT . read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Luke 4:14-30

The visit of Christ to Nazareth. The Lord is in Galilee, slowly moving from place to place, always in the character of Teacher, and always winning the applause of those who throng the synagogues. It is the period of unbroken popularity, short but, so long as it lasts, complete. His face is towards his native place, foreseeing and, as we are reminded, foretelling that the tide will receive its first check there. The visit is in many ways significant. I. IT REMINDS US OF A DUTY ... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Luke 4:14-30

Christ's sermon in Nazareth. The temptation of Christ strengthened all the graces within him, so that he felt himself prepared, on returning from the wilderness, for public work. Luke does not take us, as John does in his Gospel, back to the Jordan; nor does he take us to the marriage in Cana of Galilee, where the wonderful works began ( John 2:1-13 ). He prefers to sum up for us his early Galilaean ministry in two verses, before proceeding to a detailed account of his visit to Nazareth... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Luke 4:23

Ye will surely say unto me this proverb, Physician, heal thyself. "There is something interesting in our finding this proverb in the Gospel of the beloved physician. May we think of him as hearing the proverb casually, tracking out its application, and so coming on this history? It was, probably, so far as is known, a common Jewish proverb; but there is no trace of it in Greek writers, and it was therefore likely to attract his notice" (Dean Plumptre). Whatsoever we have heard done in... read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Luke 4:23

Physician, heal thyself - This proverb was probably in common use at that time. The meaning is this: Suppose that a man should attempt to heal another when he was himself diseased in the same manner; it would be natural to ask him first to cure himself, and thus to render it manifest that he was worthy of confidence. The connection of this proverb, here, is this: “You profess to be the Messiah. You have performed miracles at Capernaum. You profess to be able to deliver us from our maladies, our... read more

Group of Brands