The Meaning of Luke 17:7 Explained

Luke 17:7

KJV: But which of you, having a servant plowing or feeding cattle, will say unto him by and by, when he is come from the field, Go and sit down to meat?

YLT: But, who is he of you -- having a servant ploughing or feeding -- who, to him having come in out of the field, will say, Having come near, recline at meat?

Darby: But which of you is there who, having a bondman ploughing or shepherding, when he comes in out of the field, will say, Come and lie down immediately to table?

ASV: But who is there of you, having a servant plowing or keeping sheep, that will say unto him, when he is come in from the field, Come straightway and sit down to meat;

KJV Reverse Interlinear

But  which  of  you,  having  a servant  plowing  or  feeding cattle,  will say  unto him  by and by,  when he is come  from  the field,  Go  and sit down to meat? 

What does Luke 17:7 Mean?

Context Summary

Luke 17:1-10 - "take Heed To Yourselves"
The world is full of stumbling-blocks. Men are perpetually placing them in each other's way; and especially before little children, the simple and the weak. Let us take heed to ourselves and endeavor to make life's pathway easier for others. Let us spend lives of helpfulness and sympathy, full of love and forgiveness, of light and joy.
Do these precepts seem too difficult? Does a sevenfold forgiveness seem impossible? Then learn the lesson of the mustard seed, which opens its tiny door to the inflow of Nature's energy and is therefore enabled to produce what, to its unaided strength, would be impossible. Open your soul to God! His love through you will forgive and save to the uttermost!
But when you have done all, you have nothing to be proud of, and neither God nor man is under any obligation to you. Love is the elementary duty of the follower of Christ. [source]

Chapter Summary: Luke 17

1  Jesus teaches to avoid occasions of offense;
3  and to forgive one another
5  The power of faith
6  How we are bound to God
11  Jesus heals ten lepers
22  Of the kingdom of God, and the coming of the Son of Man

Greek Commentary for Luke 17:7

Sit down to meat [αναπεσε]
Recline (for the meal). Literally, fall up (or back). [source]

Reverse Greek Commentary Search for Luke 17:7

Luke 12:37 He shall gird himself [περιζωσεται]
Direct future middle. Jesus did this (John 13:4), not out of gratitude, but to give the apostles an object lesson in humility. See the usual course in Luke 17:7-10 with also the direct middle (Luke 17:8) of περισωννυω — perisōnnuō f0). [source]
1 Peter 5:2 Tend [ποιμανατε]
First aorist active imperative of ποιμαινω — poimainō old verb, from ποιμην — poimēn (shepherd) as in Luke 17:7. Jesus used this very word to Peter in the interview by the Sea of Galilee (John 21:16) and Peter doubtless has this fact in mind here. Paul used the word to the elders at Miletus (Acts 20:28). See 1 Peter 2:25 for the metaphor. [source]

What do the individual words in Luke 17:7 mean?

Which now of you a servant having plowing or shepherding the [one] having come in out of the field will say to him Immediately having come recline
Τίς δὲ ἐξ ὑμῶν δοῦλον ἔχων ἀροτριῶντα ποιμαίνοντα ὃς εἰσελθόντι ἐκ τοῦ ἀγροῦ ἐρεῖ αὐτῷ Εὐθέως παρελθὼν ἀνάπεσε

δὲ  now 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: δέ  
Sense: but, moreover, and, etc.
δοῦλον  a  servant 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Masculine Singular
Root: δοῦλοσ1 
Sense: a slave, bondman, man of servile condition.
ἀροτριῶντα  plowing 
Parse: Verb, Present Participle Active, Accusative Masculine Singular
Root: ἀροτριάω  
Sense: to plough.
ποιμαίνοντα  shepherding 
Parse: Verb, Present Participle Active, Accusative Masculine Singular
Root: ποιμαίνω  
Sense: to feed, to tend a flock, keep sheep.
ὃς  the  [one] 
Parse: Personal / Relative Pronoun, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: ὅς 
Sense: who, which, what, that.
εἰσελθόντι  having  come  in 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Participle Active, Dative Masculine Singular
Root: εἰσέρχομαι  
Sense: to go out or come in: to enter.
ἐκ  out  of 
Parse: Preposition
Root: ἐκ 
Sense: out of, from, by, away from.
ἀγροῦ  field 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Masculine Singular
Root: ἀγρός  
Sense: land.
ἐρεῖ  will  say 
Parse: Verb, Future Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: λέγω  
Sense: to utter, speak, say.
αὐτῷ  to  him 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Dative Masculine 3rd Person Singular
Root: αὐτός  
Sense: himself, herself, themselves, itself.
Εὐθέως  Immediately 
Parse: Adverb
Root: εὐθέως  
Sense: straightway, immediately, forthwith.
παρελθὼν  having  come 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Participle Active, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: παρέρχομαι  
Sense: to go past, pass by.
ἀνάπεσε  recline 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Imperative Active, 2nd Person Singular
Root: ἀναπίπτω  
Sense: to lie back, lie down.

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