Luke 8:40 · Bible study
Luke 8:40 Commentary: Welcomed Back by the Waiting Crowd
Greek · 8 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Study the crowd's eager reception of Jesus in Luke 8:40, its motivation, contrast with Gadara, and what it says about human responses to Christ.
Research Summary
- Meaning: Jesus’ return from the Gadarene region was met by a crowd that had been eagerly waiting for him on the shore.
- Key words: ἀπεδέξατο (“received gladly,” G588), inherently joyful; προσδοκῶντες (“looking for,” G4328), active, expectant waiting.
- Main debate: The exact location of the landing (Capernaum vs. Bethsaida) remains uncertain, but the meaning of the welcome is not disputed.
- Theological theme: Contrast of responses to Jesus, rejection by some, eager welcome by others, and the posture of waiting for his return.
- Best use: A bridge passage that highlights the eagerness of the Galilean crowd and sets up the healing of Jairus’s daughter and the woman with the issue of blood.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
When Jesus returned, the crowd welcomed Him, for they had all been waiting for Him.
WEB World English Bible 2000
When Jesus returned, the multitude welcomed him, for they were all waiting for him.
KJV King James Version 1769
And it came to pass, that, when Jesus was returned, the people gladly received him: for they were all waiting for him.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
And as Jesus returned, the multitude welcomed him; for they were all waiting for him.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
And it came to pass, in the turning back of Jesus, the multitude received him, for they were all looking for him,
Darby Darby Bible 1890
And it came to pass when Jesus returned, the crowd received him gladly, for they were all expecting him.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
And it came to pass that when Jesus was returned, the multitude received him: for they were all waiting for him.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Y aconteció que volviendo Jesús, recibióle|strong="G0588, G0846" la gente; porque todos le esperaban|strong="G2258, G4328".
E aconteceu que, quando Jesus voltou, a multidão o recebeu; porque todos o estavam esperando.
A son retour, Jésus fut reçu par la foule, car tous l’ attendaient.
Und es begab sich, da Jesus wiederkam, nahm ihn das Volk auf; denn sie warteten alle auf ihn.
En het geschiedde, als Jezus wederkeerde, dat Hem de schare ontving; want zij waren allen Hem verwachtende.
Al suo ritorno, Gesù fu accolto dalla folla, perché tutti lo stavano aspettando.
I stało się, gdy się wrócił Jezus, że go przyjął lud; albowiem nań wszyscy oczekiwali.
Когда же возвратился Иисус, народ принял Его, потому что все ожидали Его.
耶穌 回來的時候，眾人 迎接 他，因為 他們 都 等候 他。
And when Jesus went back, the people were glad to see him, for they were all waiting for him.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Koine Greek)
New Testament · Koine Greek · Luke 8:40
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators agree that Luke 8:40 records a moment of warm reunion after a tense departure. The crowd on the Galilean shore received Jesus gladly, Adam Clarke points out that the Greek verb ἀπεδέξατο (apedexato) inherently means “to receive with joy,” so the King James “gladly” is not an addition but an accurate rendering. Gill notes that these people were “of a different cast” from the Gadarenes who had just begged Jesus to leave. Jamieson-Fausset-Brown observe that the day’s teaching (Luke 8:4, 18) and the calming of the storm had “only whetted the people’s appetite.” The crowd had been waiting on the shore, scanning the lake for his sail. The consensus is clear: the reception was enthusiastic, born of expectation for more teaching and healing, and it stands in deliberate contrast to the fear-driven rejection across the sea.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Low
What is clear: The crowd eagerly welcomed Jesus back because they had been waiting for him, a response that stands in clear contrast to the rejection he had just experienced in the Gadarene region.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| The crowd’s motivation | The crowd was actively waiting for Jesus and received him joyfully, motivated by a desire for his teaching and healing. | Some commentators (e.g., Gill) stress the crowd’s earnest longing for help; others (e.g., JFB) note that popularity was rising and may have included curiosity. Both agree the reception was real, not hostile. |
| Chronology of the return | Jesus crossed back from the Gadarene region to the western shore of the Sea of Galilee. | The Cambridge Bible notes uncertainty about the exact order of events and the landing spot (Capernaum vs. Bethsaida); Matthew indicates Capernaum (Mt 9:1). |
| Contrast with the Gadarenes | The Gadarenes asked Jesus to leave; the Galilean crowd welcomed him. This contrast is intentional in Luke’s narrative. | Some see this as a literal opposition between fear and faith; others as a narrative tool highlighting the different receptions of Jesus in Jewish vs. Gentile regions. |
| The crowd’s faith after the storm | The crowd had witnessed or heard about the previous day’s teaching and the night’s storm crossing. | JFB suggests the crowd may have seen the calming of the tempest from shore, deepening their wonder; others simply note they were waiting for his return without specifying how much they knew. |
Historical & Cultural Context
This verse bridges two very different responses to Jesus. In Luke 8:26, 39, Jesus healed a violently demon‑possessed man in the Gentile region of the Gadarenes (east of the Sea of Galilee). The townspeople, terrified by the display of power and the loss of their herd of pigs, asked him to leave. Jesus returned to the western shore, likely near Capernaum or Bethsaida, his home base in Galilee (Matthew 9:1; Mark 5:21). The crowd that greeted him had not seen him leave, they had watched him set sail the previous evening (Mark 4:35, 36) and had been waiting through the stormy night. The Cambridge Bible remarks that they “would see the sail of His boat as it started back.” Their waiting was active, eager; the Greek verb προσδοκῶντες (prosdokōntes) means “to look for, to expect.” Gill describes them as “on the shore, looking out very eagerly for him.” Culturally, Galilean Jews were familiar with traveling teachers, but Jesus had already built a reputation through exorcisms, healings, and authoritative teaching (Luke 4:31, 37). His popularity was at a high point. The contrast with Gadara is sharp: there, the people feared the loss of their economic stability; here, the people hoped for the restoration of their sick and broken. The Gospel of Luke, as Easton’s Bible Dictionary notes, is “the Gospel of the good Physician”, and in this scene, the Physician returns to find a waiting room full of patients.
Textual Notes
The consulted sources note no significant textual variants for Luke 8:40. The verse is consistent across the manuscript tradition and appears in all major editions. The only variation in the supplied English versions is the inclusion or omission of “gladly” (as in KJV italics), but Adam Clarke clarifies that the Greek verb itself conveys the idea of joyful reception.
Reception History
Luke 8:40 has been read across Christian tradition as a picture of eager anticipation for Christ’s presence. Early commentators highlighted the contrast between the crowd that awaited Jesus and the Gadarenes who rejected him, drawing moral lessons about the readiness of faith versus the fear of the world. In the medieval period, the verse was often used in sermons on the parousia, connecting the crowd’s waiting to the Church’s hope for Christ’s return. Later, during the Reformation, Geneva Bible notes drew attention to the crowd’s unity in waiting, “all waited for him”, as a model of community expectation. In modern devotional use, the verse is paired with Proverbs 8:34 as an image of those who watch at wisdom’s gates. It remains a simple but powerful reminder that Jesus returns to those who long for him.
Preaching This Verse
Three‑point outline
- The Waiting Crowd, The people did not merely happen to be there; they had been watching for him (Luke 8:40; Mark 5:21). Their expectancy challenges our own posture toward Christ.
- The Glad Reception, The verb ἀπεδέξατο (Clarke) already contains the idea of joy. They were eager to welcome him, not merely polite.
- The Contrast with Gadara, Across the lake, the townspeople wanted Jesus gone. Here, the crowd could not wait to have him back. The same power that frightened some drew others.
Five‑point outline
- Return from rejection (Luke 8:37, 39)
- The waiting posture (v. 40a “all waiting for him”)
- The glad welcome (v. 40b “gladly received him”)
- Immediate fruit: Jairus comes (vv. 41, 42)
- Interrupted by faith: the bleeding woman (vv. 43, 48)
Illustration hooks
- A family waiting at the airport for a soldier returning from deployment, scanning the terminal, dropping everything when they spot him.
- Fans camping overnight for concert tickets, their eagerness turning into a roaring welcome when the doors open.
- A patient in a waiting room watching the door, hoping the doctor will call their name, except here the Doctor steps into the room.
Questions your congregation is asking
- “Why do some people reject Jesus while others are desperate to get close to him?”
- “What does it look like to ‘wait for Jesus’ in daily life, is it passive or active?”
- “If I were on that shore, would I be one of the waiting crowd, or would I be with the Gadarenes?”
Leading a Discussion
This verse stands at a turning point in Luke 8. Just after Jesus was turned away from a Gentile region, he is welcomed back with open arms on the Galilean shore. As you discuss, notice the details of the crowd’s attitude, and what it reveals about their hearts.
Discussion questions
- What do we learn from the fact that the crowd was “all waiting for him” (Luke 8:40)? What does that suggest about their expectations?
- The verb “received” in Greek (apedexato) means “to accept with gladness,” according to Adam Clarke. How does that change your picture of the scene?
- Compare this crowd’s response with the Gadarenes’ response in 8:37. What factors might explain the difference? (Consider geography, culture, fear, hope.)
- Read Proverbs 8:34 and Luke 19:6. How do these cross‑references flesh out what it means to “wait for” and “receive” Jesus?
- In what ways do we, as a church, “wait for” Jesus today? What could make our waiting more eager and expectant?
- This passage is immediately followed by the stories of Jairus’s daughter and the bleeding woman. How does the crowd’s eagerness set the stage for these miracles?
- The crowd pressed around Jesus (8:42). Is there a difference between pressing near him and truly trusting him? Where do you see both in the verses that follow?
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)
| Proverbs 8:34 | Blessed is the man who hears me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at my door posts. |
| Matthew 9:1 | He entered into a boat and crossed over, and came into his own city. |
| Mark 5:21 | When Jesus had crossed back over in the boat to the other side, a great multitude was gathered to him; and he was by the sea. |
| Mark 6:20 | for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and kept him safe. When he heard him, he did many things, and he heard him gladly. |
| Mark 12:37 | Therefore David himself calls him Lord, so how can he be his son?” The common people heard him gladly. |
| Luke 5:1 | Now while the multitude pressed on him and heard the word of God, he was standing by the lake of Gennesaret. |
| Luke 19:6 | He hurried, came down, and received him joyfully. |
| Luke 19:37 | As he was now getting near, at the descent of the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works which they had seen, |
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
5 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke argues that the Greek word itself means "gladly received him," so the translators did not need to add "gladly" in italics as if it were not in the original text. He cites several examples from Raphelius to confirm this point.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes directs the reader to the parallel Gospel accounts in Matthew and Mark, where the same event is described more fully. He sees the verse as best understood in light of those other passages rather than on its own.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva Notes observe that the crowd's welcome of Jesus was not accidental but driven by eager expectation. They had been waiting for him, so their reception was deliberate and full of anticipation. This waiting shows their longing for his return.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill highlights the stark contrast between these people and the Gadarenes Jesus had just left. Unlike those who rejected him, this crowd gladly welcomed Jesus because they had personally experienced the benefits of his teaching and miracles, and they waited eagerly for his return.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB notes the crowd gladly received Jesus because they had been waiting for Him all night, having likely witnessed the sudden calming of the storm from a distance. Their eagerness to see Him return demonstrates that the tide of His popularity was now rising rapidly.