Charles Ellicott Commentary Luke 12:13

"And one out of the multitude said unto him, Teacher, bid my brother divide the inheritance with me." — Luke 12:13 (ASV)

And one of the company.—Better, one of the multitude. The request implied a recognition of our Lord’s character as a scribe or Rabbi, but it was for the purpose of asking Him to assume that office in its purely secular aspect. As interpreters of the Law, the scribes were appealed to as advocates and arbitrators in questions of property or marriage. The precise nature of the case is not stated here, but the words of the petitioner suggest that he was a younger son, who, on his father’s death, claimed from his elder brother more than the share which, according to the usual practice of a double portion for the first-born (2 Kings 2:9), of right belonged to him, and expected apparently a full half.