Luke 10:39

And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus’ feet, and heard his word.

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Word by word — the Greek

Word	Greek	Strong’s	Meaning
And	καὶ kai	G2532	and · conjunction
she	τῇδε tēade	G3592	the same · demonstrative pronoun — dative singular feminine
had	ἦν ēn	G2258	I (thou
sister	ἀδελφὴ adelphē	G79	a sister (naturally or ecclesiastically) · noun — nominative singular feminine
called	καλουμένη kaloumenē	G2564	to "call" (properly · verb — present passive participle, nominative singular feminine
Mary	Μαριάμ. Mariam	G3137	Maria or Mariam (i.e. Mirjam) · noun — nominative singular feminine, a proper name
which	ἣ hē	G3739	the relatively (sometimes demonstrative) pronoun · relative pronoun — nominative singular feminine
also	καὶ kai	G2532	and · conjunction
sat	παρακαθεσθεῖσα parakathestheisa	G3869	to sit down near · verb — aorist passive deponent participle, nominative singular feminine
at	παρά pará	G3844	properly
Jesus’	Ἰησοῦς Iēsoûs	G2424	Jesus (i.e. Jehoshua)
feet	πόδας podas	G4228	a "foot" (figuratively or literally) · noun — accusative plural masculine
heard	ἤκουεν ēkouen	G191	to hear (in various senses) · verb — imperfect active indicative, 3rd person singular
his	αὐτοῦ. autou	G846	the reflexive pronoun self · personal pronoun — genitive singular masculine
word	λόγον logon	G3056	something said (including the thought) · noun — accusative singular masculine

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).

Cross-references

Proverbs 8:34 Blessed is the man that heareth me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the posts of my doors.
Luke 8:35 Then they went out to see what was done; and came to Jesus, and found the man, out of whom the devils were departed, sitting at the feet of…
John 12:3 Then took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair: and the hous…
Acts 22:3 I am verily a man which am a Jew, born in Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, yet brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, and taught accordi…
Deuteronomy 33:3 Yea, he loved the people; all his saints are in thy hand: and they sat down at thy feet; every one shall receive of thy words.
Luke 2:46 And it came to pass, that after three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them, and asking…
1 Corinthians 7:32-40 But I would have you without carefulness. He that is unmarried careth for the things that belong to the Lord, how he may please the Lord:
John 11:1 Now a certain man was sick, named Lazarus, of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha.

Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Luke 10:38–end

We may observe in this story, I. The entertainment which Martha gave to Christ and his disciples at her house, Luk 10:38. Observe, 1. Christ's coming to the village where Martha lived: As they went (Christ and his disciples together), he and they with him entered into a certain village. This village was Bethany, nigh to Jerusalem, whither Christ was now going up, and he took this in his way. Note (1.) Our Lord Jesus went about doing good (Act 10:38), scattering his benign beams and influences as the true light of the world. (2.) Wherever Christ went his disciples went along with him. (3.) Christ honoured the country-villages with his presence and favour, and not the great and populous cities…

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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Luke 10:39

which also--"who for her part," in contrast with Martha. sat--"seated herself." From the custom of sitting beneath an instructor, the phrase "sitting at one's feet" came to mean being a disciple of any one (Act 22:3). heard--rather, "kept listening" to His word.

Adam Clarke on Luke 10:39

Sat at Jesus' feet - This was the posture of the Jewish scholars, while listening to the instructions of the rabbins. It is in this sense that St. Paul says he was brought up at the Feet of Gamaliel, Act 22:3.

John Gill on Luke 10:39

And she had a sister called Mary,.... Which also was a common name with the Jews, and is the same with Miriam; so we read of Mary, the daughter of Nicodemon, the same perhaps with Nicodemus; and the same person that is before called Martha, the daughter of Baithus, is sometimes called Mary, the daughter of Baithus (e), though these two names are certainly distinct: which also sat at Jesus' feet; was a disciple of his, as well as Martha; for it was usual for disciples, or the scholars of the wise men, to sit at the feet of their masters, to which the allusion is in Deuteronomy 33:3; see Gill on Acts 22:3 The Vulgate Latin, Arabic, and Coptic versions, read "at the Lord's feet": so Beza's anc…

The Church Fathers

It is not said of Mary simply that she sat near Jesus, but at His feet, to show her diligence, stedfastness, and zeal, in hearing, and the great reverence which she had for our Lord.
— John Chrysostom ((as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)), Catena Aurea by Aquinas

Martha then, setting about and preparing to feed our Lord, was occupied in serving; but Mary her sister chose rather to be fed by the Lord, for it follows, And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus' feet, and heard his word. (ubi sup.) Now as was her humility in sitting at His feet, so much the more did she receive from Him. For the waters pour down to the lowest part of the valley, but flow away from the rising of the hill.
— Augustine of Hippo ((as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)), Catena Aurea by Aquinas

(6. Mor. c. 18.) Or by Mary who sat and heard our Lord's words, is signified the contemplative life; by Martha engaged in more outward services, the active life. Now Martha's care is not blamed, but Mary is praised, for great are the rewards of an active life, but those of a contemplative are far better. Hence Mary's part it is said will never be taken away from her, for the works of an active life pass away with the body, but the joys of the contemplative life the rather begin to increase from the end.
— Gregory the Dialogist ((as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)), Catena Aurea by Aquinas

The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).

Dictionary and topics

Martha — Bitterness, the sister of Lazarus and Mary, and probably the eldest of the family, who all resided at Bethany (Luke 10:38, 40, 41; John 11:1-39). From the residence being called “her house,” some…
Bethany · Mary, Martha, and Lazarus dwell at — Mary, Martha, and Lazarus dwell at
Feet · Sitting at — Sitting at
Friendship · .Mary, Martha, and Lazarus, with Jesus — .Mary, Martha, and Lazarus, with Jesus
Love · .Mary — .Mary
Martha · Ministers to Jesus — Ministers to Jesus

Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).

Luke 10:39

Word by word — the Greek

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Luke 10:38–end

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Luke 10:39

Adam Clarke on Luke 10:39

John Gill on Luke 10:39

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

Luke 10:39

Word by word — the Greek

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Luke 10:38–end

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Luke 10:39

Adam Clarke on Luke 10:39

John Gill on Luke 10:39

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

John Calvin on Luke 10:38–end

Tyndale Open Study Notes on Luke 10:39