Luke 3:11

He answereth and saith unto them, He that hath two coats, let him impart to him that hath none; and he that hath meat, let him do likewise.

King James Version · Read in your translation · Open the Explore console

Word by word — the Greek

Word	Greek	Strong’s	Meaning
answereth	ἀποκριθεὶς apokritheis	G611	to conclude for oneself · verb — aorist passive deponent participle, nominative singular masculine
and	δὲ de	G1161	but · conjunction
saith	ἔλεγεν elegen	G3004	properly · verb — imperfect active indicative, 3rd person singular
them	αὐτοῖς· autois	G846	the reflexive pronoun self · personal pronoun — dative plural masculine
hath	ἔχων echōn	G2192	to hold (used in very various applications · verb — present active participle, nominative singular masculine
two	δύο duo	G1417	"two" · adjective — numeral, indeclinable
coats	χιτῶνας chitōnas	G5509	a tunic or shirt · noun — accusative plural masculine
impart	μεταδότω metadotō	G3330	to give over · verb — second aorist active imperative, 3rd person singular
hath	ἔχοντι echonti	G2192	to hold (used in very various applications · verb — present active participle, dative singular masculine
none	μὴ mē	G3361	(adverb) not · particle — negative
and	καὶ kai	G2532	and · conjunction
hath	ἔχων echōn	G2192	to hold (used in very various applications · verb — present active participle, nominative singular masculine
meat	βρώματα brōmata	G1033	food (literally or figuratively) · noun — accusative plural neuter
do	ποιείτω.¶ poieitō	G4160	to make or do (in a very wide application · verb — present active imperative, 3rd person singular
likewise	ὁμοίως homoiōs	G3668	similarly · adverb

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

Isaiah 58:7-11 Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou…
1 John 3:17 But whoso hath this world’s good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love…
1 Timothy 6:18 That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate;
Luke 18:22 Now when Jesus heard these things, he said unto him, Yet lackest thou one thing: sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and…
1 John 4:20 If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God wh…
James 1:27 Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself u…
James 2:15-26 If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food,
Daniel 4:27 Wherefore, O king, let my counsel be acceptable unto thee, and break off thy sins by righteousness, and thine iniquities by shewing mercy to…

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

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Luke 3:1-14

John's baptism introducing a new dispensation, it was requisite that we should have a particular account of it. Glorious things were said of John, what a distinguished favourite of Heaven he should be, and what a great blessing to this earth (Luk 1:15, Luk 1:17); but we lost him in the deserts, and there he remains until the day of his showing unto Israel, Luk 1:80. And now at last that day dawns, and a welcome day it was to them that waited for it more than they that waited for the morning. Observe here, I. The date of the beginning of John's baptism, when it was that he appeared; this is here taken notice of, which was not by the other evangelists, that the truth of the thing might be conf…

Read the whole note in the console

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Luke 3:11

two coats--directed against the reigning avarice. (Also see on Mat 3:10.)

Adam Clarke on Luke 3:11

He that hath two coats, etc. - He first teaches the great mass of the people their duty to each other. They were uncharitable and oppressive, and he taught them not to expect any mercy from the hand of God, while they acted towards others in opposition to its dictates. If men be unkind and uncharitable towards each other, how can they expect the mercy of the Lord to be extended towards themselves?

John Gill on Luke 3:11

He answereth and saith unto them,.... By telling them what they should do; and he does not put them upon ceremonial observances, nor severe exercises of religion, nor even the duties of the first table of the law, and others of the second, though necessary to be done; but upon acts of beneficence and kindness, to fellow creatures in distress; and are what may be called love of our neighbour, and which involves the love of God, and so the whole law; for the one cannot be rightly exercised without the other: he that hath two coats, let him impart to him that hath none; not both of them, but one of them: a man is not obliged to go naked himself, in order to clothe another; and so the Persic an…

Read the whole note in the console

The Church Fathers

But we are hereby taught, that every thing we have over and above what is necessary to our daily support, we are bound to give to him who hath nothing for God's sake, who hath given us liberally whatever we possess.
— Basil of Caesarea ((as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)), Catena Aurea by Aquinas

(ubi sup.) Because a coat is more necessary for our use than a cloak, it belongs to the bringing forth of fruits worthy of repentance, that we should divide with our neighbours not only our superfluities but those which are absolutely necessary to us, as our coat, or the meat with which we support our bodies; and hence it follows, And he who has meat, let him do likewise.
— Gregory the Dialogist ((as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)), Catena Aurea by Aquinas

For other commands of duty have reference only to individuals, mercy has a common application. It is therefore a common commandment to all, to contribute to him that has not. Mercy is the fulness of virtues, yet in mercy itself a proportion is observed to meet the capacities of man's condition, in that each individual is not to deprive himself of all, but what he has to share it with the poor.
— Ambrose of Milan ((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

Alms — Not found in the Old Testament, but repeatedly in the New. The Mosaic legislation (Lev. 25:35; Deut. 15:7) tended to promote a spirit of charity, and to prevent the occurrence of destitution among…
Mary — Hebrew Miriam. (1.) The wife of Joseph, the mother of Jesus, called the “Virgin Mary,” though never so designated in Scripture (Matt. 2:11; Acts 1:14). Little is known of her personal history. Her…
Poor — The Mosaic legislation regarding the poor is specially important. (1.) They had the right of gleaning the fields (Lev. 19:9, 10; Deut. 24:19, 21). (2.) In the sabbatical year they were to have their…
Beneficence · 18:5,7-9; — 18:5,7-9;
Liberality · 3:10-12; — 3:10-12;
Poor · 7:10; — 7:10;
Poor, The · A care for: Is a fruit of repentance — A care for: Is a fruit of repentance
Righteousness · FRUITS OF — FRUITS OF
Self-Denial · Should be exercised in: Assisting others — Should be exercised in: Assisting others

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 3:11

Word by word — the Greek

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Luke 3:1-14

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Luke 3:11

Adam Clarke on Luke 3:11

John Gill on Luke 3:11

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

Luke 3:11

Word by word — the Greek

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Luke 3:1-14

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Luke 3:11

Adam Clarke on Luke 3:11

John Gill on Luke 3:11

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

John Calvin on Luke 3:7-14

Tyndale Open Study Notes on Luke 3:11