Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Luke 13:15
The Lord then answered him, and said, [Thou] hypocrite, doth not each one of you on the sabbath loose his ox or [his] ass from the stall, and lead [him] away to watering?
15. Thou hypocrite ] Rather (with the best uncials), Hypocrites!
( , A, B), classing the man with the whole sect to which he belonged, and whose shibboleths he used. They were hypocrites (i.e. they were acting a part) because they were disguising secret enmity under a pretence of sabbatical zeal.
on the sabbath loose his ox ] Our Lord varied from time to time the arguments with which He abolished the fanatical formalism of the Pharisees respecting the Sabbath. Sometimes He appealed to His own inherent authority (Joh 5:17-47); sometimes to Scripture precedents (Luk 6:3-5); or to common sense and eternal principles (Luk 6:9). Here, as in Luk 14:5, He uses an argumentum ad hominem, refuting their traditional rules by the selfish insincerity with which they applied them. They allowed men to unloose and lead to water their cattle on the sabbath, and thus to break their own Sabbatic rules to save themselves the trouble of providing water overnight, or, at the best, to abridge a few hours’ thirst; was then this suffering woman not to be touched, not to be spoken to, to end 18 years of suffering?
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Thou hypocrite! – You condemn me for an action, and yet you perform one exactly similar. You condemn me for doing to a woman what you do to a beast. To her I have done good on the Sabbath; you provide for your cattle, and yet blame me for working a miracle to relieve a sufferer on that day.
Stall – A place where cattle are kept to be fed, and sheltered from the weather.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Our Saviour here calleth this ruler of the synagogue hypocrite, for his impudence in so severe a reflection on him for doing on the sabbath day a work of that nature which he himself did, and thought himself blameless in the doing of, and his friends ordinarily did, upon whom for so working he did not reflect, thereby teaching us one note of a hypocrite, viz. to reflect upon others for things which we do ourselves. This ruler of the synagogue aud his party indeed did not heal on the sabbath day. But what kind of work was healing? Was it not a work of mercy? What servile labour was there in it? It is only said Christ called this poor creature, and she came, not she was brought to him. What did Christ do? He only laid his hands upon her, and pronounced her loosed from her infirmity. Now the Jews would ordinarily upon the sabbath day loose a beast from the stall to go and drink at a pit, or lead it thither; was not this a greater labour? How came this to be lawful, and not that act of mercy which Christ did show to this poor creature? Their act was capable of no other excuse, than that it was an act of mercy, and a good man will show mercy to his beast: it could be no act of piety, nor of necessity; for a beast may live one day without water, or at least might have had water set by it the night before. Nay, our Lords work of mercy was much more noble. Theirs was to a beast; his to one of mankind, to a woman, and she a Jewish woman, a daughter of Abraham, a father upon whom they much valued themselves, and their whole nation, Mat 3:9; Joh 8:39. Their beast might not be sick; she was under an infirmity, and that no ordinary infirmity, she was in the hands of the enemy of mankind, bound by Satan; nor was her affliction of a few days continuance, she had been so bound eighteen years.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
15. the Lord(See on Lu10:1).
hypocrite!How “thefaithful and true Witness” tears off the masks which men wear!
his ox, c.(See on Mt12:9-13 and Lu 6:9).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
The Lord then answered him and said,…. Though he did not direct his speech to him, he knew that he struck at him, and suggested that he was a violator of the sabbath, as well as the people: and therefore in defence of himself, and of what he had done, and to expose the hypocrisy of this man, made answer as follows,
thou hypocrite; the Vulgate Latin, Arabic, and Ethiopic versions read in the plural, “hypocrites”; as do the Complutensian edition, and four ancient copies of Beza’s, and the Alexandrian copy; but the Syriac and Persic versions read in the singular, “hypocrite”; as this man was, who covered his malice and envy at Christ, with a show of zeal for the sabbath day; and yet did that upon it, which must be allowed by themselves, and others, to be a much greater violation of the sabbath, than this cure could ever be thought to be:
doth not each one of you, on the sabbath day, loose his ox, or his ass, from the stall, or rack, where he is fastened with a rope;
and lead him away to watering? to some place of water, where he may drink, after having filled himself at the rack: and that this was agreeably to their own canons and practice, that beasts may be led out on a sabbath day, is certain; for they deliver various rules concerning leading them out, with what they might, and with what they might not be brought out; and particularly, among others, mention asses and heifers q; and they speak r of leading them to water, not only to drink of it, but to wash their chains in it, which, it seems, received pollution, and needed washing, and might be done on a sabbath day; yea, they allow, that not only a beast may be led out to watering, but a man might fill a vessel of water, and pour it out into a trough for it, provided he did not directly set it before it: the rule is this s
“a man may not fill water (a vessel of it), and put it on a sabbath day before his beast, but he may fill it, and pour it out, and it may drink of it.”
And particularly on a feast day, their rule is t, that
“they do not water nor slay beasts of the desert, but they water and slay domestic ones. Domestic ones are such as lie in the city (i.e. as Maimonides says u, within the sabbatical border, 2000 cubits from the city), and those of the desert are such as lie in pastures.”
And therefore very justly does our Lord observe to the ruler of the synagogue their own practices towards a beast, in defence of his works of mercy to men.
q Misn. Sahbat, c. 5. sect. 1, 2, 3, 4. & 18. 2. T. Bab. Sabbat, fol. 51. 2. & Piske Tosephot in ib. art. 226, 227, 228, 233. r Bartenora in Misn. Sabbat, c. 5. sect. 1. s T. Bab. Erubin, fol. 20. 2. t Misn. Betza, c. 5. sect. 7. u In ib.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
The Lord answered him ( ). Note use of “the Lord” of Jesus again in Luke’s narrative. Jesus answered the ruler of the synagogue who had spoken to the crowd, but about Jesus. It was a crushing and overwhelming reply.
Hypocrites (). This pretentious faultfinder and all who agree with him.
Each of you ( ). An argumentum ad hominen. These very critics of Jesus cared too much for an ox or an ass to leave it all the sabbath without water.
Stall (). Old word, in the N.T. only here and Luke 2:7; Luke 2:12; Luke 2:16 the manger where the infant Jesus was placed.
To watering (). Old verb, causative, to give to drink.
Fuente: Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament
Loose [] . Compare thou art loosed, ver. 12.
Stall. See on ch. Luk 2:7.
Fuente: Vincent’s Word Studies in the New Testament
1) “The Lord then answered him, and said,” (apekrithe de auto ho kurios kai eipen) “Then the Lord answered him and said,” very sharply, and clearly, and directly to him and the other rabbis of the synagogue, knowing that his show of indignation was a pretence, as also observed Mat 16:15. Jesus proceeded to pull the mask off of this masquerading hypocrite.
2) “Thou hypocrite, doth not each one of you on the sabbath,” (hupokritai hekastos humon to sabbato ou) “You hypocrites, does not each one of you all on the sabbath,” Pro 11:9; Mat 7:5; Mat 23:13; Mat 23:28, this very day, show mercy to dumb beasts, by loosing them to water and graze, but this woman, demon bound, when I release her you find fault.
3) “Loose his ox or his ass from the stall,” (euei ton boun autou e ton onon apo tes phatnes) “Loosen or release his ox or ass from the manger or stall,” on the sabbath. Certainly they did, Luk 14:5-6; Joh 7:23-24. Jesus saw the hate and jealousy in the heart of those hypocritical synagogue rulers.
4) “And lead him away to watering?” (kai apagagon potizei) “And lead him away to give it a drink?” You do, and the people know you do it, you hypocrites. That is more actual work, manual labor, in drawing much water for these animals, than I have done. You see dumb brutes, oxen and donkeys, were more important to them than the souls of the cripple and demon possessed one. They set aside the commandment of God to do good, to find fault with Jesus and all that He did, Mar 7:5-9. How much better was this woman, the seed of Abraham, better than an animal, Mat 12:12.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
15. Doth not every one of you? etc Such a combination of malice and stupidity might easily have been exposed in many ways, but Christ satisfied himself with this single argument. If it be lawful on the Sabbath, to perform the offices of humanity to cattle, it is ridiculous to imagine that the due observance of it will prevent assistance from being granted to the children of God. The words of Christ present a twofold comparison: that of the cattle with the daughter of Abraham, and that of the halter by which the ass or the ox is tied to its stall with the chains of Satan, by which he holds men bound to their destruction. “You,” says he, “who are so scrupulous about observing the Sabbath, venture to loose oxen and asses, and lead them away to watering. And why may not I be permitted to perform a similar office of kindness to the elect people of God; especially when the necessity is more urgent, when some one is to be delivered from the snares of Satan? ”
Now though the wicked reprover was struck dumb with shame, yet we perceive that Christ never performed any work, however illustrious, which wicked men did not seize as an occasion for slander. Nor need we wonder that Satan labored, with incessant zeal and exertions, to subvert the glory of Christ; for he is constantly employed in spreading his clouds, in order to darken the holy actions of believers.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(15, 16) Doth not each one of you . . .?The principle is the same as that in Mat. 12:11 (where see Note), but the case is put in even a stronger form. There the illustration is drawn from what might seem an exceptional act for an exceptional emergency; here from the regular practice of men, where their own interests were concerned. If they pleaded that it was not for their own interests, but those of humanity to the brutes committed to their charge, the answer was obvious that the daughter of Abraham was better than the ox or ass.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
15. Hypocrite He belongs to that class whom Jesus has stamped with that terrible name. This man might well have withered, had he known and felt the awfulness of that epithet, pronounced from such lips. It is applied to this man as his share of the name, as applied by our Lord to the whole class of his teachers and masters. Early in his ministry our Lord gave out that there was such a standing class. See Mat 6:2; Mat 6:5; Mat 6:16. Later he began to tell who and which they generally were, (Luk 15:7; Luk 16:3; Luk 22:18.) Later to denounce woes upon them, (Luk 23:14-15,) and finally to assign them their portion, (Luk 24:51.) This cavilling at healing on the Sabbath day was one of the stereotype tests of the hypocrite. See note on Mat 12:1-9.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
‘But the Lord answered him, and said, “You hypocrites, does not each one of you on the sabbath loose his ox or his ass from the stall, and lead him away to watering?” ’
Jesus answer was not to the ruler alone. He addressed the group of bristling opponents. He clearly saw that there were a group whose attitude demonstrated their backing of the ruler’s words, for He addresses them in the plural. He accuses them of saying one thing and doing another (as being ‘hypocrites’) because, as all knew, they were all ready to loose their ox or ass on the Sabbath day so as to lead it to watering as long as it was not being used for work (some members of the communities connected with Qumran would have said they were wrong even to do that). Later it would be stipulated that they could also pour water into its trough, although could not themselves hold a bucket to its mouth, and that too may already have applied. So relaxation of the Sabbath was allowed for domestic animals even when their lives were not in danger.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Luk 13:15. Doth not each one of you Our Lord soon put the hypocritical ruler to silence, by placing the action which he found fault with, in the light of their allowed practice. They loosed and led their cattle on the sabbath day to water, and thought the mercy of the work justified them in so doing. He, by uttering a word, had loosed a woman, a reasonable creature; nay, and what heightens the colouring, a daughter of Abraham, who had been bound with an incurable distemper, not for a single day, but for eighteen years! Without doubt, the far greater mercy of this and the other God-like works which Jesus did, justified his performing them on the sabbath, as the ruler might easily have seen, had he not been whollyblinded by his superstition. It is not improbable, that this ruler might that very day have been performing such an office for one of his cattle with his own hands, as is here spoken of; for it was by no means necessary to his being a ruler of the synagogue, that he should be a person of wealth or dignity in common life. Critics have collected passages from rabbinical writers, in which they allow it to be lawful to feed or water a beast on the sabbath-day. See Lightfoot’s Hor. Heb. on the text, where he shews that they were expressly allowed even to draw water for their beasts, a more laborious work than leading them to it. We may remark, that the folly even of the men of learning among the Jews, conspicuous in this and some other instances mentioned in the Gospels, shews the malignant nature of superstition. It is capable of extinguishing reason, of banishing compassion,andoferadicatingthemostessentialprinciplesandfeelingsof the human mind.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
DISCOURSE: 1535
THE INFIRM WOMAN CURED
Luk 13:15-16. The Lord then answered him, and said, Thou hypocrite, doth not each one of you on the Sabbath loose his ox or his ass from the stall, and lead him away to watering? And ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath bound, lo, these eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath-day?
THE command to sanctify the Sabbath was given to man in Paradise, and was perpetuated to all generations when it was engraven on stones by God himself, together with the other precepts of the law. But the sanctification of that day consists, not in a mere abstinence from bodily labour, but in a suspension of all temporal cares, and an application of soul to spiritual duties. This appears from the conduct of our Lord himself: he never was more active than on the Sabbath-day; and when censured by superstitious hypocrites, he vindicated himself by shewing that works of necessity and mercy were perfectly compatible with that holy rest which God had enjoined. To this effect he spake in the passage before us; in discoursing upon which, we shall consider,
I.
The miracle he wrought
There was in the synagogue a woman much afflicted in body
[By the force of some disorder her whole frame was so contracted or relaxed, that she was utterly incapable of standing upright. This disorder had been, in some way or other, inflicted on her by Satan. The same wicked spirit who smote Job with boils, and possessed the bodies of many in our Saviours days, had exerted his power over her; and she had been no less than eighteen years in this deplorable condition; yet as she was not ashamed to go to the synagogue on account of her deformity, so neither would she be detained from it by her weakness. Alas! how many amongst us absent themselves from the house of God under far less plausible pretexts, notwithstanding our ordinances are so incomparably superior to those which she was privileged to attend.]
Our Lord, well knowing her case, afforded her a miraculous relief
[He needed not to have his compassion moved by earnest entreaties. Unsolicited he called her to him, and by the imposition of his hand conveyed an instantaneous cure. Thus he shewed how easily he could destroy the works of the devil [Note: 1Jn 3:8.]; and that neither length of time nor inveteracy of disorder could at all obstruct the efficacy of his word.]
The censure which he incurred on account of this benevolent act, called forth,
II.
His vindication of it
The Ruler of the synagogue expressed his indignation at this exercise of power
[That which in reality hurt his feelings was, the popularity of Jesus. He could not endure to see him followed by such multitudes, and confirming his divine mission by such miracles. But, because he could not with the smallest appearance of reason condemn the miracle he had seen, he pretended to be offended at its being wrought on the Sabbath-day. He proceeded to reprove the people for paying so little regard to that holy day; and thus obliquely cast reflections on our Lord himself. What an evidence of his enmity against Christ, and of his being altogether destitute of compassion to his fellow-creatures! And how thin the veil under which he endeavoured to cover these detestable qualities!]
Our Lord, however, vindicated his own conduct in a most unanswerable manner
[He tacitly acknowledged the necessity of sanctifying the Sabbath; but appealed to his hearers, whether such a work as he had performed were any breach of it. If they universally considered themselves at liberty to loose an ox or an ass from the stall in order to give it water on the Sabbath-day, how much more justifiable was he in loosing the far sorer bands of a rational being, yea, of a daughter of Abraham, on that day; more especially, when it was Satan himself who had bound her; when she too had been no less than eighteen years in that state; and when he had effected her cure simply by a touch of his hand. Such was our Lords argument; and it flashed conviction upon every mind. Thus, while the rulers hypocrisy was detected, and the adversaries, who had sided with him, were put to shame, our Saviours character rose in the estimation of all the people.]
And this speaks loudly to us, if we will attentively consider,
III.
The reflections suggested by it
1.
What blindness and hypocrisy are there in the human heart
[Every one sees in an instant how deservedly our Lord reproached the Ruler for his hypocrisy; and we are ready to suppose that we should never have indulged so vile a disposition. But there is nothing more common than the very spirit which he manifested. He condemned people for seeking the healing of their bodies on the Sabbath-day. And are there none who are offended at men for seeking the salvation of their souls on the week-day? I know that these will plead a regard for order, and for the institutions of man; but the Ruler had a still stronger plea, namely, a regard for the Sabbath, and the express commandments of God. Yet, whatever they may think, neither the one nor the other are upright before God. The objections of both originate in the same evil disposition, a want of regard for the Saviours honour and for the welfare of their fellow-creatures. On this account the Judge of quick and dead called him a hypocrite. By what name I pray you will he call these, when they shall stand before him at his tribunal? Is not the soul of as much value as the body? and are we not as much justified in promoting its welfare on a week-day, or on the Sabbath evening, as a diseased person is in seeking relief for the body upon the Sabbath-day? Let us all then acknowledge the evil of our own hearts; and give God the glory if we be in any measure freed from the prejudices by which so many in every age and place are blinded.]
2.
How desirable is it to embrace every opportunity of waiting upon God!
[The woman broke through every difficulty that she might honour the public institutions of religion. And was she not well repaid for her trouble at last? Surely the restoration of her body to health and strength was a blessing that would have abundantly compensated for still greater toil than she ever endured. And have none amongst us received a still richer recompence? If your bodily disorders have not been removed, have you never received grace both to bear and improve them? Have none of you been delivered from the bonds in which Satan held your souls? Has not your guilt been removed, and the corruption of your hearts been in some measure healed? Let this encourage all to wait upon God. Let it make you fearful of yielding to any excuses, lest you be absent from the ordinances at the very time that Jesus shall manifest his presence there: worldly business, worldly pleasure, dinner company, and such like engagements, will ill repay you for the loss of spiritual and eternal good. Say not, I can serve God as well at home; for it is not the means we use, but the blessing of God upon them that renders them effectual to our benefit; and Gods blessing cannot be expected, if we seek it not in the way of his appointment. And if proud and envious hypocrites condemn you, regard it not. Your Saviour himself will vindicate your conduct, to your honour, and to their confusion.]
3.
With what comfortable hope may we look to Jesus under all our troubles!
[It is alike easy to him to save from bodily or spiritual disorders. A touch of his hand, or word of his mouth, will convey the blessing we desire. Are we then labouring under any affliction of mind or body? Are we, like David, bowed down greatly, and do we go mourning all the day long [Note: Psa 38:6.]? Behold, it is the Saviours office to bind up that which is broken, to heal that which is sick, and to raise up them that are bowed down [Note: Isa 61:1. Psa 146:8.]. Nor can we doubt but that he, who prevented the application of this afflicted woman, will come at our entreaty, and impart the aid which we implore. Let us all, then, direct our eyes unto him, and may we all become monuments of his power and grace, for his mercys sake! Amen.]
Fuente: Charles Simeon’s Horae Homileticae (Old and New Testaments)
15 The Lord then answered him, and said, Thou hypocrite, doth not each one of you on the sabbath loose his ox or his ass from the stall, and lead him away to watering?
Ver. 15. Thou hypocrite ] The Syriac rendereth it Assumens vultum, thou that settest a good face upon it, thou that impersonate a better man than thou art; thou picture of piety, &c.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
15. ] The Lord saw the real thoughts of his heart, that they were false, and inconsistent with his pretended zeal, and addressed the multitude as represented by him, their leader. A man hardly could give forth a doctrine so at variance with common sense and common practice, without some by-end, with which he covered his violation of truth. That by-end here was enmity to and jealousy of Jesus.
The instance chosen exactly fits the circumstances. A beast tied to the manger is confined down as this poor woman was.
Fuente: Henry Alford’s Greek Testament
Luk 13:15 . : plural less personal than the singular (T.R.), yet severe enough, though directed against the class. The case put was doubtless according to the prevailing custom, and so stated as to make the work done prominent ( , looses, that one bit of work: , leading the animal loosed to the water, that another, vide Bengel). , gives him drink, at least to the extent of drawing water from the well, if not of carrying it to the animal’s mouth (the former allowed, the latter disallowed in the Talmud, vide Lightfoot and Wnsche).
Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson
hypocrite. See note on Luk 11:44
not. Greek. ou. App-105.
loose. Compare note on Luk 13:12, and see the Structure.
from. Greek. apo. App-104.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
15. ] The Lord saw the real thoughts of his heart, that they were false, and inconsistent with his pretended zeal, and addressed the multitude as represented by him, their leader. A man hardly could give forth a doctrine so at variance with common sense and common practice, without some by-end, with which he covered his violation of truth. That by-end here was enmity to and jealousy of Jesus.
The instance chosen exactly fits the circumstances. A beast tied to the manger is confined down as this poor woman was.
Fuente: The Greek Testament
Luk 13:15. , ye hypocrites) The plural is used, including more persons, but addressed to one person; comp. Luk 13:17 [where all His adversaries are included]: as also in Luk 11:46, compared with Luk 11:45. There was some degree of reverence felt on the part of the ruler of the synagogue towards Jesus; and it was not owing to any peculiar prejudice of his own, but owing to the common error of the Jews on the subject, that he was led to oppose the Saviour.[130]-, doth loose) A most apt illustration. Comp. , to be loosed, applied to the woman in Luk 13:16.-, having led away) Words are heaped together in order to show the amount of work [comp. , Luk 13:14, in the complaint of the ruler] done on the Sabbath in such a case.
[130] However the Vers. Germ., following the margin of the 2d Ed., prefers the singular number in this passage.-E. B. is the reading of ABabc Vulg. Iren. 236. of the Rec. Text is only supported by D of the primary authorities.-ED. and TRANSL.
Fuente: Gnomon of the New Testament
Thou hypocrite: Luk 6:42, Luk 12:1, Job 34:30, Pro 11:9, Isa 29:20, Mat 7:5, Mat 15:7, Mat 15:14, Mat 23:13, Mat 23:28, Act 8:20-23, Act 13:9, Act 13:10
doth not: Luk 14:5, Joh 7:21-24
Reciprocal: Exo 35:2 – whosoever Mat 6:2 – as Mat 12:11 – what Mat 16:3 – O ye Mar 2:28 – General Mar 3:5 – with anger Luk 15:4 – man Luk 17:7 – General
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
5
Jesus had respect for the sabbath and for all other items in the law. But he knew that it was not reverence for the day that prompted the ruler to criticize him, but a desire to have a pretext for condemning him. Because of this Jesus called him a hypocrite. He further exposed the insincerity of the critic, by reminding him of his own practice of attending the care of his beast even on the sabbath.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
The Lord then answered him, and said, Thou hypocrite, doth not each one of you on the sabbath loose his ox or his ass from the stall, and lead him away to watering?
[Doth not each one of you on the sabbath loose his ox?] that disceptation doth attest this, How far a beast going forth. Where it is very much cautioned that the beast be not brought out on the sabbath day carrying any thing upon him that might be a burden not permitted to be borne on that day. They allow that a camel be led out with a halter, a horse with a collar; etc.; that is, when they are led out either to pasture or watering. Nay, the Gloss upon the place adds, “that they may lead out the horse to the water, that he may dip the collar in the water if the water be unclean.”
To this may be referred that abstruse and obscure rule concerning the building of mounds about a spring that belongs to a private man, with that art that the beast, being led thither to watering on the sabbath day, shall not go out of the place that is of common right.
It is not only permitted to lead the beast out to watering on the sabbath day, but they might draw water for him, and pour it into troughs, provided only that they do not carry the water, and set it before the beast to drink; but the beast come and drink it of his own accord.
Fuente: Lightfoot Commentary Gospels
Luk 13:15. The Lord. Perhaps with emphasis; as He had previously proclaimed Himself, Lord even of the Sabbath (chap. Luk 6:5).
Ye hypocrites. Luk 13:17 shows that other antagonists were present. The plural agrees better with what follows. The hypocrisy is evident from the example our Lord quotes.
Doth not each one of you, etc. This was confessedly permitted. In an important sense works of mercy are works of necessity. The beast tied to the manger aptly represents the case of this poor woman.
Fuente: A Popular Commentary on the New Testament
Jesus’ argued from the lesser to the greater again. A person is much more important than an animal (cf. Luk 14:5). The Jews regarded women as less important then men. Jesus viewed her as a daughter of Abraham, a very exalted title that described a female descendant of the revered patriarch. Perhaps the Jews had denied this woman this title concluding that her affliction was due to some great sin that she had committed (cf. Luk 13:2-5). Jesus freed her from her alien master who had bound her for 18 long years. Jesus’ compassion refused to allow her to suffer one more day. Since the Sabbath was a day of worship and rejoicing, it was appropriate that Jesus healed her then.
"As a result of Jesus’ command, the fever ’released her.’ While the verb apheken (’released’) is shared with the parallel accounts, in Luke it is placed in a context where it has the full force of release from an oppressive confinement and illustrates the ’release (aphesin) for captives’ of which Jesus spoke in Luk 4:18." [Note: Tannehill, 1:84.]