Albert Barnes Commentary Luke 24:13

"And behold, two of them were going that very day to a village named Emmaus, which was threescore furlongs from Jerusalem." — Luke 24:13 (ASV)

Two of them. This refers to two of the disciples. The name of one of them was Cleopas (Luke 24:18). Many have supposed that the other was Luke, and that he omitted his own name from modesty. Others have supposed that it was Peter (1 Corinthians 15:5). There is no evidence to guide us here. Dr. Lightfoot has shown that Cleopas is the same name as Alpheus, who was the father of the apostle James (Matthew 10:3).

Emmaus. Regarding the locality of Emmaus, it seems quite probable that it is the same village referred to by Josephus (Jewish Wars, VII.6, §6). Josephus states that after the destruction of Jerusalem, Titus gave Emmaus, distant from Jerusalem sixty furlongs, to eight hundred of his troops, whom he had dismissed from his army, as their dwelling place. Dr. Thomson (The Land and the Book, vol. II, pp. 307, 540) regards it as the present Kuriet el 'Aineb, which Dr. Robinson identifies with Kirjath-jearim. Of this place he says:

"Kuriet el 'Aineb itself would be the proper distance from Jerusalem. Being on the road to Jaffa and on the dividing ridge between the plain and the mountains, the Roman emperor might have considered it an advantageous post for a colony made up of his disbanded soldiers, who could keep the surrounding country in check. It is certain that in later ages the occupants of this place have controlled the whole adjacent region and for many generations exercised their lawless tyranny upon helpless pilgrims.

"It took just three hours' moderate riding from Kuriet el 'Aineb to Jerusalem: first, a long descent into Wady Hanina, which passes between it and Soba; then a similar ascent, followed by a very steep pass and a very slippery path down to Kulonia. At this place are some substantial foundations of a church, convent, or castle by the roadside, which could be of almost any age, and also gardens of fruit-trees, irrigated by a fountain of excellent water. Kulonia is on a hill north of the road and seems likely to become a ruin itself before long. The path then winds up a valley and stretches over a dreary waste of bare rocks until within a mile of the city, when the view opens upon its naked ramparts and the mysterious regions toward the Dead Sea."

Threescore furlongs. This means sixty furlongs, or about seven or eight miles. It is not certain that these individuals were apostles; in fact, the contrary seems to be implied in Luke 24:33. (See the commentary on Luke 24:33).

If they were not apostles, it is probable that they were intimate disciples, who may have been with the Savior often during the later part of his ministry and the closing scenes of his life. However, it is entirely unknown why they were going to Emmaus. It may have been that this was their native place, or that they had friends in the vicinity.

They seem to have given up all for lost and to have concluded that Jesus was not the Messiah, though they naturally conversed about it, and there were many things they could not explain. Their Master had been crucified contrary to their expectations, their hopes were dashed, their anticipations disappointed, and they were now returning in sadness, very naturally conversing on the way about the things that had happened in Jerusalem.