Bible Strands
Luke 7:5
for he loves our nation and has built our synagogue.”
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The Jewish elders address Jesus, pleading for the healing of a Roman centurion’s servant. They argue the centurion merits the request because he actively supported the Jewish people and funded their local house of worship.
The words — ἀγαπᾷ (agapa) means “he loves,” and συναγωγὴν (sunagōgēn) translates as “synagogue.” These terms record the centurion’s stated motivation: personal affection for a specific ethnic group and financial patronage of their religious infrastructure.
The thread — The motif of Gentile rulers honoring Israel through building projects appears in 2 Chronicles 2:11 and 1 Kings 5:1, where Hiram of Tyre cites God’s love for His people as the basis for his cooperation. Luke 7:5 mirrors this historical pattern by presenting a foreign official whose actions align with covenantal favor.
Why it lands — The passage requires readers to recognize that reverence for God’s people can manifest through tangible support rather than ritual observance. It demands a clear-eyed assessment of whether one’s own commitments produce concrete benefit for others.
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
For he loveth our nation, and he hath built us a synagogue.
Cross-references
- 2 Chronicles 2:11 Then Hiram king of Tyre wrote a letter in reply to Solomon: “Because the LORD loves His people, He has set you over them as king.”
- 1 Chronicles 29:3 Moreover, because of my delight in the house of my God, I now give for it my personal treasures of gold and silver, over and above all that I have provided for this holy temple:
- 1 Kings 5:1 Now when Hiram king of Tyre heard that Solomon had been anointed king in his father’s place, he sent envoys to Solomon; for Hiram had always been a friend of David.
- 1 John 3:14 We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love our brothers. The one who does not love remains in death.
- 1 John 3:18 Little children, let us love not in word and speech, but in action and truth.
- 1 John 5:1 Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father also loves those born of Him.
- Ezra 7:27 Blessed be the LORD, the God of our fathers, who has put into the heart of the king to so honor the house of the LORD in Jerusalem,
- Galatians 5:6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. What matters is faith expressing itself through love.