Attributed commentary excerpt
John Gill's Exposition on Luke 17:6
A historical reference excerpt for this verse. Read it alongside the biblical text and other available sources.
Exposition of the Old and New Testament
John Gill (1697–1771) · 18th-century historical commentary
Source: BibleWord.ai's local reference edition of this named work.
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, Arabic, and Ethiopic versions render it, the “mulberry tree”: and that the sycamine and mulberry tree are the same, Beza shows from Dioscorides, Athenaeus, and Galen; though whether it is the same with the sycamore in (<421904>Luke 19:4) is not certain. The first of these writers makes them to be the same; and the last asserts they are different, and so they should seem by their different names. Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea, and it should obey you: for such a tree to be plucked up by the root at a word speaking, is very wonderful and miraculous, and beyond the power of nature; and much more for it to remove into the sea, and plant itself there, where trees grow not; and to believe this should be done, and such a word of command obeyed, one should think required very great faith; and yet, if it was but as a grain of mustard seed, which is very small, it might be done. The design is to show, what great things are done by faith, and what an increase of it they should have.
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