John Gill Commentary Luke 7

Now when he had ended all his sayings
That is, when Jesus, as the Persic version expresses it, had finished all the above sayings, doctrines, and instructions; not all that he had to say, for he said many things after this:

in the audience of the people ;
of the common people, the multitude besides the disciples; and that openly, and publicly, and with a loud and clear voice, that all might hear:

he entered into Capernaum ;
Jesus entered, as the Syriac version reads, into his own city, and where he had been before, and wrought miracles.

And a certain centurion's servant. The same that Matthew makes mention of, (Matthew 8:5Matthew 8:6) , (See Gill on Matthew 8:5). (See Gill on Matthew 8:6).

who was dear unto him. To the centurion, being an honest, upright, faithful, and obliging servant; as Tabi was to Rabban Gamaliel, of whom his master said ^F12, "Tabi my servant, is not as other servants, (hyh rvk), 'he is upright.'"

was sick. Of a palsy; see (Matthew 8:6).

and ready to die. In all appearance his case was desperate, and there was no help for him by any human means, which makes the following cure, the more remarkable.

FOOTNOTES:

• F12: T. Bab. Beracot, fol. 16. 2.

And when he heard of Jesus
That he was come, as the Ethiopic version adds, into the city of Capernaum; or of his miracles, which he had done there, and elsewhere:

he sent unto him the elders of the Jews :
in whom he had an interest, judging himself, being a Gentile, very unworthy and unfit to go himself, and ask a favour of so great a person as Christ was, such was his modesty and humility.

These elders he sent, were not the more ancient inhabitants of the city, called (Urah Me ynqz) , "the elders of, or among the common people", as distinguished from (hrwt ynqz) , "the elders of the law", or those that were old in knowledge; of both which it is said by R. Simeon ben Achasia ^F13 , that "the elders of the common people, when they grow old, their knowledge fails in them, as it is said, (John 12:20) but so it is not with the "elders of the law"; but when they grow old, their knowledge rests in them, as it is said, (Job 12:12) ."

But these were either some principal officers of the city, called the elders of the people elsewhere; particularly, who were members of the sanhedrim; for as elders, when they design the elders in Jerusalem, mean the great sanhedrim ^F14 there; so elders, in other places, intend the sanhedrim, consisting of twenty one persons, or the bench of three; and such were these, the centurion sent to Christ:

beseeching him that he would come and heal his servant :
he besought him most earnestly by these messengers, that he would come to his house, and cure his servant of the palsy, by laying his hands on him, or commanding the distemper off, by a word speaking; or in what way he should think fit, for he made no doubt that he was able to heal him.

FOOTNOTES:

• F13: Misn. Kenim, c. 3. sect. 6.
• F14: T. Hieros. Sota, fol. 23. 3.

And when they came to Jesus
To that part of the city where he was; either at Peter's house, where he used to be when in this place; or rather it might be as he was passing along the streets, that they came up to him

they besought him instantly ;
or with great vehemence and importunity; very studiously and carefully they urged the case, and pressed him much to it:

saying, he was worthy for whom he should do this ;
or, "for whom you should do this", as the Vulgate Latin, Syriac, Persic, and Ethiopic versions read, and some copies; and which reading connects the words best. This speech of theirs savours of their "pharisaic" tenet and notion of merit, and is very different from the sense the poor centurion had of himself.

For he loves our nation
The Jewish nation, which was Christ's nation, as well as theirs, he being a Jew; see (John 18:35) . This they mention as an argument to induce him to have a regard to the centurion, though he was a Gentile; since he was a friend of the Jews, and well affected and disposed to them, which was very rare: it was not common for the Gentiles to love the Jews, any more than the Jews the Gentiles; there was an hatred, yea, an enmity between them; but this man, very likely, was a proselyte to their religion, as the following instance seems to show:

and he has built us a synagogue ;
at his own private charge, and by the assistance of his soldiers under him, whom he might employ in this work: sometimes a single person built a synagogue at his own expense, and gave it to the citizens; of which the Jews say, ^F15``if a man builds an house, and afterwards devotes it to a synagogue, it is as a synagogue.''

FOOTNOTES:

• F15: Piske Harosh Megilia, c. 4. art. 1.