Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Luke 8:24
And they came to him, and awoke him, saying, Master, master, we perish. Then he arose, and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water: and they ceased, and there was a calm.
24. we perish ] Rather, we are perishing! “Lord! save! we are perishing,’ Mat 8:25. “Rabbi, carest thou not that we are perishing?” Mar 4:38. The peril was evidently most imminent.
Then he rose ] Rather, But He, being roused from sleep.
rebuked the wind ] speaking to the wind and the billows of the water as though they were living powers (Psa 106:9, “He rebuked the Red Sea also”), or to the evil powers which may be conceived to wield them to the danger of mankind. St Mark alone preserves the two words uttered “Hush! be stilled!” the first to silence the roar, the second the tumult. St Matthew tells us that He quietly uttered ‘Why are ye cowards, ye of little faith?’ and then, having stilled the tumult of their minds, rose and stilled the tempest.
Where is your faith? ] “They had some faith, but it was not ready at hand.” Bengel.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
And they came to him, and awoke him,…. That is, the disciples came from some part of the ship, to the hinder part of it, where Christ was asleep; and by their shrieks and cries, and repeated vociferations, awaked him out of sleep:
saying, Master, Master, we perish. The Vulgate Latin, Arabic, and Ethiopic versions, only read “master”, without a repetition of the word, as in Matthew and Mark; but the Syriac and Persic versions repeat it, and render the words, “our master, our master”;
[See comments on Mt 8:25].
Then he rose, and rebuked the wind, and the raging of the water, and they ceased, and there was a calm;
[See comments on Mt 8:26].
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Master, Master (, ). See on Lu 5:5 for discussion. Mr 4:38 has
Teacher (), Mt 8:25 has
Lord (). The repetition here shows the uneasiness of the disciples.
We perish (). So in Mark 4:38; Matt 8:25. Linear present middle indicative, we are perishing.
The raging of the water ( ). , common Greek word, is a boisterous surge, a violent agitation. Here only in the N.T. save Jas 1:6. (Mr 4:37) is the regular swell or wave. A calm (). Only in the parallels in the N.T., though common word. Here Mark 4:39; Matt 8:26 add great ().
That (). This use of as explanatory of the demonstrative pronoun occurs in the parallels Mark 4:36; Matt 8:27 and also in Lu 4:36. It is almost result.
He commandeth (). Peculiar to Luke.
Fuente: Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament
Master. See on ch. Luk 5:5.
Rebuked. Compare the more detailed narrative of Mr 4:39, and see notes there. Wyc., blamed.
The raging [] . See on Jas 1:6.
Arose [] . Wrong. It is the word used just before, awoke. Lit., having been thoroughly awakened. Rev., correctly, he awoke. Luke is especially fond of compounds with dia.
A calm. Matthew and Mark have “a great calm.”
Fuente: Vincent’s Word Studies in the New Testament
1) “And they came to him, and awoke him, saying,” (proselthontes de diegeiran auton legontes) “Then upon approaching, they awoke Him, repeatedly saying, “With fear and excitement, near hysteria, Mat 8:25. Their prayer appeal did what the wild storm could not do, awoke Him, Psa 44:23-26; Psa 145:17-19.
2) “Master, master, we perish.” (epistata epistata) “Master, master, we are perishing”, or sinking. The repetition of the name reflects anxiety with which they were seized, Mat 8:25.
3) “Then he arose, and rebuked the wind,” (ho de degertheis epetimesen to anemo) “Then he being awakened, rebuked the wind,” in a tranquil spirit, calming the storm, that caused their deathly fear. He had power over all His creation, including nature, to heal her ills, even as He performed this miracle, Mat 8:26; Psa 46:1-3.
4) “And the raging waters:” (kai to kludoni tou hudatos) “And the roughness of the waters;” He also rebuked, reproved, or chided the high waves, the surge of the waters, commanding them, “peace, be still,” Mar 4:39.
5) “And they ceased and there was a calm.” (kai epausanto kai egeneto galene) “And they ceased,” and there became a calm,” out of the storm; Both the wind and the waters lay still, quieted at the Master’s command, like an obedient dog falls at his master’s feet, on command, Mat 8:26; Mar 4:39. The calm was then as impressive as the storm had been, Isa 29:10. The Lord is ruler of the winds and the waters, to send the rain on the just and the unjust, to roll back the waters of the Red Sea or the Jordan River, to walk upon or sail the waters of Galilee, etc., at His own will.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
(24) Master, master.We note another characteristic feature of Lukes phraseology. The Greek word (epistats) which he, and he only, uses in the New Testament, is his equivalent, here and elsewhere, for the Rabbi or Master (didaskalos), in the sense of teacher, which we find in the other Gospels. St. Luke uses this word also, but apparently only in connection with our Lords actual work as a teacher, and adopts epistats (literally, the head or president of a company, but sometimes used also of the head-master of a school or gymnasium) for other occasions. It was, as this fact implies, the more classical word of the two.
The raging of the water.Literally, the wave or billow of the water. The term is peculiar to St. Lukes Gospel.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
‘And they came to him, and awoke him, saying, “Master, master, we perish.”
Desperately aware that they could sink at any moment they fought their way though the wind and rain to where Jesus was and awoke Him, crying, “Master, master, we perish.” They felt that hope had almost gone.
‘Master, master.’ The words are chosen carefully. They are speaking to the Master of the world.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
‘And he awoke, and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water, and they ceased, and there was a calm.’
In response Jesus awoke, and then He rebuked the wind and the raging water, with the result that their raging ceased. And ‘there was a calm’.
The rebuking of the seas by God was a picture common in the Old Testament. It was a picture of total control. It was saying that here was One Who could control Himself and could control the elements. He had no fear of the wind or the sea, batter as they would, for He knew they would obey His will. This is not just a miracle, it is a portrayal of the One Who is Lord of all, of One Who rules the power of the sea (Psa 89:9; Psa 93:4). For He was the One Who had first spoken to the waters and had caused them to divide and to produce the dry land (Gen 1:6; Gen 1:9-10).
‘He rebuked the wind and the raging of the water.’ The rebuking of the waters is a common description of God’s activity. For such rebuking of the waters compare Psa 106:9, ‘He rebuked the Red Sea also and it was dried up’; Isa 50:2, ‘Behold, at my rebuke I dry up the sea’; Nah 1:4, ‘The Lord has His way in the whirlwind and the storm, and the clouds are the dust of His feet. He rebukes the sea and makes it dry —.’ In each case it is the voice of the Creator speaking to His creation as He did in Genesis 1, ‘rebuking’ the waters and bringing about His will. In none of these cases is there the suggestion of any demonic element, or of battle. Even inanimate nature immediately responds to His voice because of Who He is. For the idea of God bringing about a great calm see Psa 107:29, ‘He makes the storm a calm, so that its waves are still’. Compare also Jon 1:12.
Now here we have the Son of God, and the same thing occurs. The raging waters obey His word. We can hardly fail to see in this a demonstration of deity. He is Master of the elements, Master of wind and waves. And He wants His disciples to know it. He wants them to come to recognise Who He really is. They will need to know it in the future.
And yet in view of its juxtaposition with the account of the raging demoniac which follows, who also comes to a position of calm, sitting at Jesus’ feet and in his right mind we may probably be intended to see in this storm a deliberate attempt by the Devil to be rid of Jesus (compare Job 1:19). He still thought he could do it. The Devil had still not quite caught on as to Who Jesus was (and never did to the end).
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Luk 8:24. Master, Master, we perish! How concise, how abrupt, and how ardent is this exclamation! therefore how strongly significant of imminent danger,and of the utmost distress! they have not time to be explicit; a moment’s delay may be fatal. What they utter is conciseness itself, and all rapidity.This is nature; this is the general language of the heart.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
24 And they came to him, and awoke him, saying, Master, master, we perish. Then he arose, and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water: and they ceased, and there was a calm.
Ver. 24. See Mat 8:23 ; Mar 4:36 .
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
24. ] See notes on Matt.
Fuente: Henry Alford’s Greek Testament
Luk 8:24 . : Lk.’s word for master, answering to , Mk., and , Mt. , the surge of the water.
Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson
awoke = roused. App-178.
Master. See note on Luk 5:5. Note the Figure of speech Epizeuxis (App-6), for emphasis. Not the same word as in Luk 8:49.
we perish = we are perishing: i.e. drowning.
arose = was aroused. App-178. TTr. WH R have the same word as “awoke” above,
raging. Greek kludon. Occurs only here and Jam 1:6 (“wave”).
was = became.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
24.] See notes on Matt.
Fuente: The Greek Testament
Luk 8:24. , , Master, Master) An Epizeuxis [a repetition of the same word in the same sentence to give force. Append.] answering to the feeling of the moment.
Fuente: Gnomon of the New Testament
Master: Psa 69:1, Psa 69:2, Psa 116:3, Psa 116:4, Psa 142:4, Psa 142:5, Lam 3:54-56, Joh 2:2-6, Mat 14:30, 2Co 1:9, 2Co 1:10
he arose: Psa 65:7, Psa 104:6-9, Psa 107:25-29, Isa 50:2, Jer 5:22, Nah 1:4
and rebuked: As the agitation of the sea was merely the effect of the wind, it was necessary to remove the cause of the commotion before the effect would cease. But who, by simply saying Peace, be still – Mar 4:39, could do this but God? One word of our Lord can change the face of nature, and calm the troubled ocean, as well as restore peace to the disconsolate soul.
Reciprocal: Jer 49:23 – on the sea Jon 1:15 – and the Mat 8:25 – and awoke Mat 8:26 – and rebuked Mar 4:38 – and they Mar 6:51 – and the Luk 4:39 – and rebuked
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
CHRIST AND THE ELEMENTS
Then He arose, and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water: and they ceased, and there was a calm.
Luk 8:24
There is much in that expression that Christ rebuked the wind and the waves. You will miss a great part of the intention of the incident if you merely look upon it as a miracle of stilling a tempest.
I. Why did Christ rebuke the elements?The word appears the language of one who either sees moral guilt, or who, in his affection, is indignant at something which is hurting those he loves. The elements, in themselves, cannot, of course, do a moral wrong.
(a) Is it possible that the prince of the power of the air had anything to do with that storm?Was there some latent fiendish malice in that sudden outbreak of nature upon Christ and His Church? And was Christ indeed ejecting an evil spirit when He did just what He always did, and said just what He always said, when He was dealing with those who were possessed with devils? He rebuked them.
(b) There is another aspect in which we ought to see it.We know that to the Second Adam was given what the first Adam forfeitedperfect dominion over all creation. In this light the present hurricane was like a rebellion, and Christ treated it as such, that He might show His mastership. Hence that royal word, He rebuked them, and hence the instant submission.
II. The winds were the emblem of the external influences which affect and harass; the waves, of the inward heavings and distresses which those external influences produce upon the mind: the winds, the active, evil agencies of life; the waves, the consequence of the trials, when they fall upon you; because, as the wave answers to the wind, rising or falling with its swell or subsidence, so do our weak hearts beat or be still, and respond sensibly to the ills about us.
III. Do not wish exemption from evil, neither from sorrow, nor yet from temptation. Immunity from grief is not half as great as Gods consolation under it. Exemption is not the true peace, but deliverance, victory; the peace which Christ makes out of the materials of our troubles; the silenced fear, the subdued restlessness, the sealed pardon, the interposing grace, the triumph of an omnipotent love.
Illustration
This was, no doubt, a mighty miracle. It needed the power of Him Who brought the flood on the earth in the days of Noah, and in due season took it away; Who divided the Red Sea and the river Jordan into two parts, and made a path for His people through the waters; Who brought the locusts on Egypt by an east wind, and by a west wind swept them away (Exo 10:13; Exo 10:19). No power short of this could in a moment turn a storm into a calm. To speak to the winds and waves is a common proverb for attempting that which is impossible. But here we see Jesus speaking, and at once the winds and waves obey! As man He had slept. As God He stilled the storm.
Fuente: Church Pulpit Commentary
4. We perish means the same as the preceding verse about being in great danger. Rebuked the wind indicates control over inanimate objects by miraculous power.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
This time of testing was a challenge to the disciples’ faith in Jesus’ word (cf. Luk 8:13). They stopped believing momentarily. Their double address, "Master, Master," showed their urgency. Jesus reminded them of their unbelief with His question. Luke recorded a milder rebuke than Mark did (Mar 4:40) perhaps showing that faith is a dynamic quality that grows and shrinks (cf. Luk 8:13-15). The disciples’ question showed their lack of perception of Jesus’ true identity (cf. Luk 9:20). They had believed that He was the Messiah, but they had thought of Him as their contemporaries did. Now they saw that He could perform works that only God could do (cf. Psa 107:28-30). The disciples should have trusted in Jesus’ word.
"Assuredly, no narrative could be more consistent with the fundamental assumption that He is the God-Man." [Note: Edersheim, 1:600.]
Christians have often seen this storm as typical of the storms of life we encounter that threaten our faith (cf. Jas 1:6).
"The point of connection is not in the precise situation the disciples face in the boat, but in the feelings of helplessness they have about where Jesus has led them. Events in our lives sometimes leave us feeling at risk, whether it be in a job situation that calls us to take a stand, in the severe illness of a loved one, in an unexpected tragedy, or in the breakdown of a relationship. Any of these can be a storm in which we doubt God’s goodness. We may feel God has left us to fend for ourselves." [Note: Bock, Luke, pp. 237-38.]
Experiencing deliverance in such situations should expand our appreciation for Jesus.