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Luke 17:6

New Testament Gospel ASV (1901)

What does Luke 17:6 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “And the Lord said, If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye would say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou rooted up, and be thou planted in the sea; and it would obey you.” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

And the Lord said, If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye would say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou rooted up, and be thou planted in the sea; and it would obey you.
Luke 17:6 — American Standard Version

Context — Luke 17

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
3Take heed to yourselves: if thy brother sin, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him.
4And if he sin against thee seven times in the day, and seven times turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him.
5And the apostles said unto the Lord, Increase our faith.
6And the Lord said, If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye would say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou rooted up, and be thou planted in the sea; and it would obey you.
7But 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;
8and will not rather say unto him, Make ready wherewith I may sup, and gird thyself, and serve me, till I have eaten and drunken; and afterward thou shalt eat and drink?
9Doth he thank the servant because he did the things that were commanded?
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What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“And the Lord said, etc.] In answer to the disciples. The Syriac version leaves out the word “Lord”: and the Persic version, in the room of it reads, “Jesus”: if ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed; (see Gill on “<401720>Matthew 17:20”) ye might say unto this sycamine tree; which was near at hand; for in Galilee, where Christ now was, such trees grew, especially in lower Galilee: hence those words f525; “from Caphar-Hananiah, and upwards, all the land which does not bear ˆymqç, “sycamines”, is upper Galilee, and from CapharHananiah, and downwards, all which does bear “sycamines”, is lower Galilee.” This, by Maimonides f526, is said to be a wild fig tree; but the Vulgate Latin, Syriac,…”
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Jamieson, Fausset & Brown
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“sycamine--mulberry. (See on Mar 11:22-24.)”
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Barnes' Notes
Albert Barnes (1798–1870) · Notes on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“See Matthew 17:20. “Sycamine-tree.” This name, as well as sycamore, is given, among us, to the large tree commonly called the buttonwood; but the tree here mentioned is different. The Latin Vulgate and the Syriac versions translate it “mulberry-tree.” It is said to have been a tree that commonly grew in Egypt, of the size and appearance of a mulberry-tree, but bearing a species of figs. This tree was common in Palestine. It is probable that our Lord was standing by one as he addressed these words to his disciples. Dr. Thomson (“The Land and the Book,” vol. i. p. 22-24) says of this tree: “It is generally planted by the wayside, in the open space where several paths meet.” (Compare Luke…”
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Wesley's Explanatory Notes
John Wesley (1703–1791) · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament and Old Testament notes · 18th-century historical commentary
“And he said, If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed - If ye had the least measure of true faith, no instance of duty would be too hard for you. Ye would say to this sycamine tree - This seems to have been a kind of proverbial expression. Luke 17:7”
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Tyndale Open Study Notes
Tyndale House Publishers · Tyndale Open Study Notes · Modern study notes
“17:6 A mustard seed was proverbial for something very small (see 13:19). • you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘May you be uprooted’: Black mulberry trees can live for hundreds of years and have a vast root system, making them very difficult to uproot. • it would obey you: This is not a call to use faith for arbitrary miracles. God has unlimited power, and those who trust in him will see him use it.”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“If: Mat 17:20, Mat 17:21, Mat 21:21; Mar 9:23, Mar 11:22, Mar 11:23; Co1 13:2 as: Luk 13:19; Mat 13:31, Mat 13:32 Luke 17:7”
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Related study paths

Read Luke 17 in contextBrowse Greek word studiesOpen this verse in the study reader

Sources and verification