Luke 10:25-36 · Bible study
Luke 10:25-36 Commentary: The Parable of the Good Samaritan
Greek · 11 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
An expert in the law tests Jesus, who then redefines neighborly love through the timeless parable of the Good Samaritan.
Research Summary
- Meaning: The parable redefines neighbor from an object of love to a subject who shows love; ethical demands of the law are fulfilled through mercy.
- Key words: νομικός (lawyer, expert in the law), πλησίον (neighbor, near one), ἐσπλαγχνίσθη (he had compassion, innermost bowels moved).
- Main debate: Whether the Samaritan is an allegory of Christ (some patristic and Reformed interpreters) or a model of humane ethics (most modern commentators).
- Theological theme: Love of God and neighbor is the heart of the law; Jesus exposes self-justification and calls for costly mercy.
- Best use: A passage for teaching ethics, the nature of the law, and the width of Christian love; useful for small groups and preaching on compassion.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
25One day an expert in the law stood up to test Him. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
26“What is written in the Law?” Jesus replied. “How do you read it?”
27He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’ and ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”
28“You have answered correctly,” Jesus said. “Do this and you will live.”
29But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
30Jesus took up this question and said, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him, beat him, and went away, leaving him half dead.
31Now by chance a priest was going down the same road, but when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.
32So too, when a Levite came to that spot and saw him, he passed by on the other side.
33But when a Samaritan on a journey came upon him, he looked at him and had compassion.
34He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him.
35The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Take care of him,’ he said, ‘and on my return I will repay you for any additional expense.’
36Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”
WEB World English Bible 2000
25Behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tested him, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”
26He said to him, “What is written in the law? How do you read it?”
27He answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.”
28He said to him, “You have answered correctly. Do this, and you will live.”
29But he, desiring to justify himself, asked Jesus, “Who is my neighbor?”
30Jesus answered, “A certain man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who both stripped him and beat him, and departed, leaving him half dead.
31By chance a certain priest was going down that way. When he saw him, he passed by on the other side.
32In the same way a Levite also, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.
33But a certain Samaritan, as he traveled, came where he was. When he saw him, he was moved with compassion,
34came to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. He set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him.
35On the next day, when he departed, he took out two denarii, gave them to the host, and said to him, ‘Take care of him. Whatever you spend beyond that, I will repay you when I return.’
36Now which of these three do you think seemed to be a neighbor to him who fell among the robbers?”
KJV King James Version 1769
25And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?
26He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou?
27And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself.
28And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live.
29But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbour?
30And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead.
31And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.
32And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side.
33But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him,
34And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him.
35And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee.
36Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves?
ASV American Standard Version 1901
25And behold, a certain lawyer stood up and made trial of him, saying, Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?
26And he said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou?
27And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbor as thyself.
28And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live.
29But he, desiring to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbor?
30Jesus made answer and said, A certain man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho; and he fell among robbers, who both stripped him and beat him, and departed, leaving him half dead.
31And by chance a certain priest was going down that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.
32And in like manner a Levite also, when he came to the place, and saw him, passed by on the other side.
33But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he was moved with compassion,
34and came to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring on them oil and wine; and he set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him.
35And on the morrow he took out two shillings, and gave them to the host, and said, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, I, when I come back again, will repay thee.
36Which of these three, thinkest thou, proved neighbor unto him that fell among the robbers?
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
25And lo, a certain lawyer stood up, trying him, and saying, `Teacher, what having done, life age-during shall I inherit?'
26And he said unto him, `In the law what hath been written? how dost thou read?'
27And he answering said, `Thou shalt love the Lord thy God out of all thy heart, and out of all thy soul, and out of all thy strength, and out of all thy understanding, and thy neighbour as thyself.'
28And he said to him, `Rightly thou didst answer; this do, and thou shalt live.'
29And he, willing to declare himself righteous, said unto Jesus, `And who is my neighbour?'
30and Jesus having taken up the word , said, `A certain man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among robbers, and having stripped him and inflicted blows, they went away, leaving him half dead.
31`And by a coincidence a certain priest was going down in that way, and having seen him, he passed over on the opposite side;
32and in like manner also, a Levite, having been about the place, having come and seen, passed over on the opposite side.
33`But a certain Samaritan, journeying, came along him, and having seen him, he was moved with compassion,
34and having come near, he bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine, and having lifted him up on his own beast, he brought him to an inn, and was careful of him;
35and on the morrow, going forth, taking out two denaries, he gave to the innkeeper, and said to him, Be careful of him, and whatever thou mayest spend more, I, in my coming again, will give back to thee.
36`Who, then, of these three, seemeth to thee to have become neighbour of him who fell among the robbers?'
Darby Darby Bible 1890
25And behold, a certain lawyer stood up tempting him, and saying, Teacher, having done what, shall I inherit life eternal?
26And he said to him, What is written in the law? how readest thou?
27But he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thine understanding; and thy neighbour as thyself.
28And he said to him, Thou hast answered right: this do and thou shalt live.
29But he, desirous of justifying himself, said to Jesus, And who is my neighbour?
30And Jesus replying said, A certain man descended from Jerusalem to Jericho and fell into [the hands of] robbers, who also, having stripped him and inflicted wounds, went away leaving him in a half-dead state.
31And a certain priest happened to go down that way, and seeing him, passed on on the opposite side;
32and in like manner also a Levite, being at the spot, came and looked [at him] and passed on on the opposite side.
33But a certain Samaritan journeying came to him, and seeing [him], was moved with compassion,
34and came up [to him] and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine; and having put him on his own beast, took him to [the] inn and took care of him.
35And on the morrow [as he left], taking out two denarii he gave them to the innkeeper, and said to him, Take care of him, and whatsoever thou shalt expend more, I will render to thee on my coming back.
36Which [now] of these three seems to thee to have been neighbour of him who fell into [the hands of] the robbers?
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
25And behold a certain lawyer stood up, tempting him and saying, Master, what must I do to possess eternal life?
26But he said to him: What is written in the law? How readest thou?
27He answering, said: Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with thy whole heart and with thy whole soul and with all thy strength and with all thy mind: and thy neighbour as thyself.
28And he said to him: Thou hast answered right. This do: and thou shalt live.
29But he willing to justify himself, said to Jesus: And who is my neighbour?
30And Jesus answering, said: A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho and fell among robbers, who also stripped him and having wounded him went away, leaving him half dead.
31And it chanced, that a certain priest went down the same way: and seeing him, passed by.
32In like manner also a Levite, when he was near the place and saw him, passed by.
33But a certain Samaritan, being on his journey, came near him: and seeing him, was moved with compassion:
34And going up to him, bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine: and setting him upon his own beast, brought him to an inn and took care of him.
35And the next day he took out two pence and gave to the host and said: Take care of him; and whatsoever thou shalt spend over and above, I, at my return, will repay thee.
36Which of these three, in thy opinion, was neighbour to him that fell among the robbers?
Verse in Context
Original Language (Koine Greek)
New Testament · Koine Greek · Luke 10:25
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
The lawyers question about inheriting eternal life was a test (ἐκπειράζων, ekpeirazōn, from the same root as Satans testing of Jesus in Matthew 4). Commentators agree that Jesus does not rebuff him but sends him to the law, the very authority the lawyer claimed to represent. When the lawyer correctly quotes Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18, love God wholeheartedly and love your neighbor as yourself, Jesus affirms him. As Calvin observes, the problem is not the law but the lawyers desire to justify himself (θέλων δικαιῶσαι ἑαυτόν). That self-justification leads him to ask, Who is my neighbor? expecting a narrow answer. Instead Jesus tells the parable, which, as Vincent notes, turns the question on its head: the lawyer asked who qualifies as a neighbor; Jesus asks who acts like one.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Medium
Main views:
- Ethical reading: The parable as a straightforward call to love any person in need, without allegorizing (most modern scholars and preachers).
- Allegorical reading: Samaritan as Christ, wounded man as fallen humanity, inn as the church (Origen, Augustine, Gill).
- Context of justification: Focus on the lawyer's desire to justify himself and the law's role in exposing need for grace (Calvin, Barnes, JFB).
What is clear: The command to love God and neighbor is central, and mercy toward the needy — regardless of ethnic or religious boundaries — is the concrete expression of that love.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Neighbor definition | All traditions agree that the parable teaches that neighbor includes anyone in need, not just fellow Jews or friends. | Some Christians (e.g., from a dispensational background) emphasize that the command 'love your neighbor' originally applied to fellow covenant members, but the parable universalizes it. Catholics and many evangelicals see it as a model for universal charity. |
| Allegorical vs ethical interpretation | The parable is a powerful call to compassion and mercy. | Some church fathers (Augustine, Origen) read the Samaritan as Christ, the wounded man as humanity, the inn as the church. Most modern scholars see it as a straightforward moral story. Both readings have been held by faithful Christians, and neither necessarily excludes the other. |
| Law and grace | Jesus affirms the law's content: love God and neighbor. | Calvin and other Reformers see 'do this and you will live' as showing the law's demand that we fail to meet, driving us to grace. Wesley and Arminian traditions see it as a genuine offer of life through obedient love (though enabled by grace). Catholic teaching sees the law as a guide to righteousness that is fulfilled in Christ. |
Historical & Cultural Context
The road from Jerusalem to Jericho descends roughly 3,000 feet over seventeen miles through rocky, desolate terrain. Wesley calls it the bloody way; Jerome reports that in his day Roman soldiers still guarded the route. The man going down (κατέβαινεν) suggests a Jew, likely from Jerusalem. Robbers (λῃσταί) may have been political insurgents or common bandits; the road was notorious.
Jericho was a wealthy city, home to many priests and Levites (Barnes notes that thousands lived there). When a priest and a Levite pass by on the other side (ἀντιπαρῆλθεν), the listeners would expect them to help. Their avoidance may have been motivated by concerns about ritual purity, touching a half-dead man could defile them for temple service. But Jesus does not excuse them; he simply records their failure.
The Samaritan was a shocking hero. Samaritans and Jews had deep ethnic and religious hostility; John 4:9 says Jews have no dealings with Samaritans. By choosing a Samaritan as the model of neighborly love, Jesus demolishes every boundary the lawyer wanted to draw. The details, oil and wine as common remedies, two denarii (two days wages) left with the innkeeper, the promise to repay, show a costly, practical mercy.
Textual Notes
The supplied sources note no significant textual variants for this passage. The manuscript tradition is stable across the key witnesses.
Reception History
From the early church onward, this parable was treasured. Origen and Augustine read it allegorically: the man going down from Jerusalem is Adam leaving paradise; robbers are demons; the Samaritan is Christ. This interpretation remained influential through the Middle Ages and appears in some Reformed commentators (Gill sees Christ in the Samaritan). The Reformation focused on the lawyers self-justification: Calvin uses it to show how the second table of the law exposes hypocrisy. In modern times, the parable is widely cited in social ethics and hospital missions (Good Samaritan laws, names of hospitals). Its power lies in its inversion: the one outside the covenant becomes the model of covenant love.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- What the law demands (vv. 25, 28). Love God wholly, love your neighbor as yourself. This is the standard; the lawyer knows it.
- What the lawyer tries to evade (v. 29). Wanting to justify himself, he asks, Who is my neighbor?, as if love could be limited.
- What neighborly love looks like (vv. 30, 36). The Samaritan, not the religious leaders, shows mercy. The question flips from whom must I love to who proves to be a neighbor.
Five-point outline
- Testing or learning? (v. 25). The lawyer comes to test, but Jesus uses his question to teach.
- Back to the source (vv. 26, 27). Jesus asks what the law says; the lawyer recites the great commandment.
- The unexpected affirmation (v. 28). Jesus commends the answer and says, Do this and you will live.
- The self-justifying question (v. 29). Who is my neighbor?, a question that limits love rather than extends it.
- The story that redefines (vv. 30, 36). The parable exposes the lawyers heart and calls him to become a neighbor.
Illustration hooks
- When you see a car broken down on the highway, who do you hope will stop? Who do you hope stops for you? The parable asks us to be that person.
- Think about someone from a group your family or church has historically avoided. What would it cost you to treat them as a neighbor?
- The priest and Levite may have had plausible excuses, time, purity, safety. The Samaritan had none except compassion. Which kind of person do we most resemble in daily life?
Questions your congregation is asking
- Does this parable mean I have to help every person in need, or can I set boundaries?
- How do I balance loving God and loving neighbor when I have limited time and energy?
- If the law cannot save us, why does Jesus seem to tell the lawyer to keep it in order to live?
Leading a Discussion
This passage challenges us to stop asking who deserves our love and start asking who we are called to serve. The lawyer wanted a definition; Jesus gave him a story.
Discussion questions
- Why do you think the lawyer came to test Jesus rather than to learn? What does that reveal about his heart?
- Jesus sends the lawyer to the law. If the law cannot save, why does Jesus tell him, Do this and you will live?
- The lawyer asks, Who is my neighbor? How does Jesus answer that question, not with a definition but with a story?
- Why does Jesus make a Samaritan the hero? What would that have done to the lawyers assumptions?
- The priest and Levite pass by. What might have kept them from helping? What keeps us from helping people in need today?
- Jesus flips the question: Which of these three proved neighbor? How does that change the way we think about love for others?
- Have you ever been surprised by kindness from someone you did not expect? How did that affect you?
- What is one concrete way you can be a neighbor this week to someone who is not in your usual circle?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Matthew 19:16 | Behold, one came to him and said, “Good teacher, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?” |
| Matthew 19:19 | ‘Honor your father and your mother.’ And, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’” |
| Matthew 22:34 | But the Pharisees, when they heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, gathered themselves together. |
| Matthew 22:35 | One of them, a lawyer, asked him a question, testing him. |
| Matthew 22:39 | A second likewise is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ |
| Luke 7:30 | But the Pharisees and the lawyers rejected the counsel of God, not being baptized by him themselves. |
| Luke 11:45 | One of the lawyers answered him, “Teacher, in saying this you insult us also.” |
| Luke 11:46 | He said, “Woe to you lawyers also! For you load men with burdens that are difficult to carry, and you yourselves won’t even lift one finger to help carry those burdens. |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
7 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke emphasizes that the word "neighbor" literally means "one who is near" — anyone nearby, regardless of nationality, becomes your neighbor while within reach. He argues the lawyer wanted to limit the term to Jews only, but Jesus shows that proximity itself creates an obligation of mercy to any person in need.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes notes that the lawyer came seeking to justify himself by the law, but Jesus used the law to expose his real need for a righteousness beyond his own. The parable then shatters Jewish prejudice by making a Samaritan, not a priest or Levite, the one who shows true neighborly love. This contrast reveals both human inability to save oneself and the radical compassion God requires.
Calvin's Commentaries Reformed 1564
Calvin stresses that the Law itself teaches perfect righteousness and promises life to anyone who fully keeps it. The problem is not the Law but human inability to obey it. On the neighbor question, Calvin notes that Christ forces the Pharisee to admit that every person, even a stranger, counts as a neighbor.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The lawyer's question was insincere, a test rather than a genuine search. Jesus' sharp reply, "how readest thou?" rebukes him because his whole life's work was to teach that very answer. This sets the stage for a parable where a despised Samaritan shows true compassion, unlike the religious leaders.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB highlights how Jesus repeatedly turns the lawyer's testing questions back on him. When Jesus commands "this do, and life is thine," the emphasis on "this" points to the real difficulty for a sinner. Then Jesus' parable forces the lawyer to commend a hated Samaritan,
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange draws a careful distinction between Christian love of the brethren, which has fellow believers for its object and faith in Christ for its condition, and general love of neighbor, which embraces all people as members of one human family. He notes that those zealous for the first may neglect the second.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Matthew Henry observes that this lawyer questioned Jesus not to learn but to test him, yet Christ still gave a full and authoritative answer. Even when asked with a bad motive, the question about inheriting eternal life receives Scripture's own reply: love God and love your neighbor, and live accordingly.