Bible Strands
Luke 17:7
Which of you whose servant comes in from plowing or shepherding in the field will say to him, ‘Come at once and sit down to eat’?
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Jesus addresses his disciples immediately after promising that mustard-seed faith will uproot mulberry trees. He poses a rhetorical question about a landowner’s expected treatment of a returning field laborer.
The words — The Greek δοῦλον (doulon) means a bondservant, and ἀροτριῶντα (arotriōnta) denotes one actively engaged in plowing. These terms establish a relationship of total obligation and physical labor.
The thread — This household and agricultural analogy parallels Jesus’ Sabbath arguments in Matthew 12:11, Luke 13:15, and Luke 14:5, where practical necessity overrides rigid ritual expectations.
Why it lands — The text states that a master would not immediately invite a weary laborer to eat, but would instead require him to serve first. It demands that disciples recognize their service to God as a non-negotiable duty rather than a basis for special treatment or reward.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Greek words
King James Version
But which of you, having a servant plowing or feeding cattle, will say unto him by and by, when he is come from the field, Go and sit down to meat?
Cross-references
- Matthew 12:11 He replied, “If one of you has a sheep and it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will he not take hold of it and lift it out?
- Luke 13:15 “You hypocrites!” the Lord replied. “Does not each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or donkey from the stall and lead it to water?
- Luke 14:5 And He asked them, “Which of you whose son or ox falls into a pit on the Sabbath day will not immediately pull him out?”