Albert Barnes Commentary Luke 10:30

"Jesus made answer and said, A certain man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho; and he fell among robbers, who both stripped him and beat him, and departed, leaving him half dead." — Luke 10:30 (ASV)

Jesus answering. Jesus answered him in a very different manner from what he expected. By one of the most tender and affecting narratives to be found anywhere, he made the lawyer his own judge in the case and compelled him to admit what he probably would have denied at first. He compelled him to acknowledge that a Samaritan—of a race most hated by the Jews—had shown the kindness of a neighbor, while a priest and a Levite had denied it to their own countrymen.

From Jerusalem to Jericho. Jericho was located about 15 miles northeast of Jerusalem and about 8 miles west of the Jordan River. (See Barnes on Matthew 20:29).

Fell among thieves. Fell among robbers. The word thieves means those who merely take property. These were highwaymen; they not only took property but also endangered life. They were robbers. The country from Jerusalem to Jericho was rocky and mountainous, and in some parts sparsely inhabited. Therefore, among the rocks and strongholds, it provided a convenient place for highwaymen.

This was also a very frequented road. Jericho was a large place, and there was much travel to Jerusalem. At this time, Judea also abounded with robbers. Josephus says that Herod the Great once dismissed 40,000 men who had been employed in building the temple, a large part of whom became highwaymen (Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews, xv. 7).

The following remarks by Professor Hackett, who visited Palestine in 1852, provide a good illustration of the scene of this parable. It is remarkable that a parable spoken more than 1,800 years ago could still be appropriately set in this region. Professor Hackett (Illustrations of Scripture, pp. 215-216) says of this region:

"It is famous today as the haunt of thieves and robbers. No part of the traveler's journey is as dangerous as the expedition to Jericho and the Dead Sea. The Oriental pilgrims who travel to the Jordan have the protection of an escort of Turkish soldiers; others who would make the same journey must either go in company with them or provide for their safety by obtaining a special guard. I was so fortunate as to be able to accompany the great caravan at the time of the annual pilgrimage. Yet, despite every precaution, hardly a season passes in which some unfortunate traveler is not killed or robbed while 'going down from Jerusalem to Jericho.'

"The place derives its hostile character from its terrible wildness and desolation. If we could imagine the ocean being suddenly solidified and turned to stone when its waves are tossed mountain high and are dashing in wild confusion against each other, we would then have some idea of the appearance of the desert in which the Savior has so truthfully placed the parable of the Good Samaritan.

"The ravines, the almost inaccessible cliffs, and the caverns provide excellent hiding places for robbers. They can rush out unexpectedly upon their victims and escape almost immediately beyond the possibility of pursuit.

"Every circumstance in this parable, therefore, was full of significance to those who heard it. The Savior delivered it near Bethany, on the border of the frightening desert (Luke 10:25, 38). Jericho was a priestly city. The passing of priests and Levites between that place and Jerusalem was an everyday occurrence. The idea of a caravanserai or 'inn' on the way was probably not invented for the sake of the allegory but borrowed from the landscape. Ruins of such a shelter for the benighted or unfortunate traveler now exist on one of the heights overlooking the infested road. Thus, our Lord's instructions often derive their form and much of their relevance from the accidental connections of time and place."