a tower or castle · noun — nominative singular masculine
in
ἐφ᾽eph᾽
G1909
properly · preposition
Siloam
ΣιλωὰμSilōam
G4611
Siloam (i.e. Shiloach) · noun — dative singular masculine, a place
fell
ἔπεσενepesen
G4098
to fall (literally or figuratively) · verb — second aorist active indicative, 3rd person singular
and
καὶkai
G2532
and · conjunction
slew
ἀπέκτεινενapekteinen
G615
to kill outright · verb — aorist active indicative, 3rd person singular
them
αὐτούς,autous
G846
the reflexive pronoun self · personal pronoun — accusative plural masculine
think ye
δοκεῖτεdokeite
G1380
compare the base of G1166 (δεικνύω)) of the same meaning · verb — present active indicative, 2nd person plural
that
ὅτιhoti
G3754
demonstrative · conjunction
they
οὗτοςhoûtos
G3778
the he (she or it)
were
ἐγένοντοegenonto
G1096
to cause to be ("gen"-erate) · verb — second aorist middle deponent indicative, 3rd person plural
sinners
ὀφειλέταιopheiletai
G3781
an ower · noun — nominative plural masculine
above
παρὰpara
G3844
properly · preposition
all
πάνταςpantas
G3956
all · adjective — accusative plural masculine
men
ἀνθρώπουςanthrōpous
G444
from G3700 (ὀπτάνομαι)) · noun — accusative plural masculine
that dwelt
κατοικοῦνταςkatoikountas
G2730
to house permanently · verb — present active participle, accusative plural masculine
in
ἐνen
G1722
"in
Jerusalem
Ἰερουσαλήμ;Ierousalēm
G2419
Hierusalem (i.e. Jerushalem) · noun — accusative singular feminine, a place
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
Nehemiah 3:15 But the gate of the fountain repaired Shallun the son of Col-hozeh, the ruler of part of Mizpah; he built it, and covered it, and set up the…
Job 1:19 And, behold, there came a great wind from the wilderness, and smote the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young men, and they…
Matthew 6:12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
Matthew 18:24 And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents.
1 Kings 20:30 But the rest fled to Aphek, into the city; and there a wall fell upon twenty and seven thousand of the men that were left. And Ben-hadad fle…
Luke 7:41-42 There was a certain creditor which had two debtors: the one owed five hundred pence, and the other fifty.
John 9:7 And said unto him, Go, wash in the pool of Siloam, (which is by interpretation, Sent.) He went his way therefore, and washed, and came seein…
John 9:11 He answered and said, A man that is called Jesus made clay, and anointed mine eyes, and said unto me, Go to the pool of Siloam, and wash: an…
Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).
Commentary
Matthew Henry on Luke 13:1-5
We have here, I. Tidings brought to Christ of the death of some Galileans lately, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices, Luk 13:1. Let us consider,
1. What this tragical story was. It is briefly related here, and is not met with in any of the historians of those times. Josephus indeed mentions Pilate's killing some Samaritans, who, under the conduct of a factious leader, were going in a tumultuous manner to mount Gerizim, where the Samaritans' temple was; but we can by no means allow that story to be the same with this. Some think that these Galileans were of the faction of Judas Gaulonita, called also Judas of Galilee (Act 5:37), who disowned Caesar's authority and refused to…
tower in Siloam--probably one of the towers of the city wall, near the pool of Siloam. Of its fall nothing is known.
Adam Clarke on Luke 13:4
The tower in Siloam - This tower was probably built over one of the porticoes near the pool, which is mentioned Joh 9:7. See also Neh 3:15.
Debtors, οφειλεται, a Jewish phrase for sinners. Persons professing to be under the law are bound by the law to be obedient to all its precepts; those who obey not are reckoned debtors to the law, or rather to that Divine justice from which the law came. A different word is used when speaking of the Galileans: they are termed ἁμαρτωλοι, as this word is often used to signify heathens; see the notes on Luk 7:37; it is probably used here in nearly a similar sense. "Do ye who live in Jerusalem, and who consider your selves peculiarly attached to the law, an…
Or those eighteen,.... Men; the Persic version reads, "those twelve"; but all copies, and other versions, agree in this number:
upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them; there was a pool near Jerusalem, called the Pool of Siloam, John 9:7 near, or over which, was a tower built, which fell down and killed eighteen men; very likely as they were purifying themselves in the pool, and so was a case very much like the other, and might be a very late one: and this Christ the rather observes, and puts them in mind of, that they might see that not Galileans only, whom they had in great contempt, but even inhabitants of Jerusalem, died violent deaths, and came to untimely ends; and yet, as n…
The Church Fathers
Now one tower is compared to the whole city, that the destruction of a part may alarm the whole. Hence it is added, But, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish; as if He said, The whole city shall shortly be smitten if the inhabitants continue in impenitence.
(ubi sup.) Again, there had been eighteen others crushed to death by the falling of a tower, of whom He adds the same things, as it follows, Or those eighteen upon whom the tower of Siloam fell and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwell in Jerusalem? I tell you, Nay, For he does not punish all in this life, giving them a time meet for repentance. Nor however does he reserve all for future punishment, lest men should deny His providence.
Those men of Jerusalem also who were crushed by the falling of the tower, signify that the Jews who refuse to repent will perish within their own walls. Nor without meaning is the number eighteen given, (which number among the Greeks is made up of Ι and Η, that is, of the same letters with which the name of Jesus begins.) And it signifies that the Jews were chiefly to perish, because they would not receive the name of the Saviour. That tower represents Him who is the tower of strength. And this is rightly in Siloam, which is interpreted, "sent;" for it signifies Him who, sent by the Father, came into the world, and who shall grind to powder all on whom He falls.
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
Siloam, Tower of — Mentioned only Luke 13:4. The place here spoken of is the village now called Silwan, or Kefr Silwan, on the east of the valley of Kidron, and to the north-east of the pool. It stands on the west…
Siloam, Tower, In — (Luke 13:4) Of this we know nothing definitely beyond these words of the Lord. In connection with Ophel, there is mention made of “a tower that lieth out,” (Nehemiah 3:26) and there is no…
Towers — Of Babel (Gen. 11:4), Edar (Gen. 35:21), Penuel (Judg. 8:9, 17), Shechem (9:46), David (Cant. 4:4), Lebanon (7:4), Syene (Ezek. 29:10), Hananeel (Zech. 14:10), Siloam (Luke 13:4). There were several…
Pardon · Withheld from: The impenitent — Withheld from: The impenitent
Siloam · people — people
Tower · Of Siloam — Of Siloam
Towers · Mentioned in scripture: Siloam — Mentioned in scripture: Siloam
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 13:1-9
Luke 13:1-9
1. And at that time some were present, who told him of the Galileans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. 2. And Jesus answering said to them, Do you imagine that these Galileans were sinners beyond all the Galileans, because they suffered such things? 3. I tell you, no; but unless you repent, you will all perish in like manner. 4. Or those eighteen, on whom the tower in Siloah fell and slew them, do you imagine that they were debtors beyond all men that dwell in Jerusalem? [275] 5. I tell you, no; but unless you repent, you shall all perish in like manner. 6. And he spake this parable: A certain man had a fig-tree planted in his vineyard, and came…
when the tower in Siloam fell: This incident is also unknown apart from this reference. The pool of Siloam was a reservoir in the southeastern corner of Jerusalem, so the tower might have been part of the southern wall of Jerusalem.
