Turning to the disciples, he said privately, “Blessed are the eyes which see the things that you see,
Parallel Translations
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Turning to the disciples, he said privately, “Blessed are the eyes which see the things that you see,
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And he turned to his disciples and sayde secretly: Happy are the eyes which se that ye se.
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And he turned to his disciples, and said secretly, Blessed are the eyes, which see that ye see.
Cross-references (1)
Passages linked to Luke 10:23 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, ordered by reader-vote popularity; verse text shown in World English Bible.
- Matthew 13:16-17 “But blessed are your eyes, for they see; and your ears, for they hear. For most certainly I tell you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see the things which you see, and didn’t see them; and to hear the things which you hear, and didn’t hear them.
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this verse (18 sources)
Historical commentary, presented as a primary source — not an endorsement.
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Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain The difference of the old Testament and the new…
The difference of the old Testament and the new consisteth in the measure of revelation.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain 23 And he turned him unto his disciples, and…
23 And he turned him unto his disciples, and said privately, Blessed are the eyes which see the things that ye see:
Ver. 23. Blessed are the eyes, &c.] How blessed, then, are they that hear this arch-prophet in heaven. Moses and Elias, conversing with Christ on the mount, could much better discourse about his decease, and other divine doctrines, than ever they could while here upon earth. An infant of one day there is much beyond the deepest doctor here.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain See Poole on "Mat 13:16", and See Poole on…
See Poole on "Mat 13:16", and See Poole on "Mat 13:17".
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
William Burkitt 1703 · Public Domain From the very first giving out of the promise…
From the very first giving out of the promise of Christ to Adam after the fall, Gen 3:15 There was in all good men a longing desire and expectation to see that person who should be so great a blessing to mankind. Prophets and kings desired to see the promised Messiah.
Now, says our Saviour to his disciples, Blessed are you, for you have seen with the eyes of your body what others only saw with the eyes of their mind; with your bodily eyes you have seen the promised Messiah coming in the flesh, and also the miracles to confirm you that I am he, have been wrought before your eyes; therefore blessed are the eyes of your body, which have beheld me corporally; and blessed also are the eyes of your mind, which have beheld me spiritually. A sight of Christ by a believing eye, much more by a glorified eye, is a blessed sight. Blessed are those eyes which see Christ in his dispensations of glory hereafter.
William Burkitt's Expository Notes on the New Testament (1700–1703) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain And he turned him unto his disciples,.... Both to…
And he turned him unto his disciples,.... Both to the twelve apostles, and seventy disciples;
and said privately; or to them apart: the phrase "privately" is wanting in the Vulgate Latin version:
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blessed are the eyes that see the things that ye see; the person of the Messiah, his kingdom setting up in the world, miracles wrought by him, and Satan falling before him; See Gill on Mat 13:16.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain Matt. xiii, 16.
Matt. xiii, 16.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain Verse 23. Blessed are the eyes which see the…
Verse 23. Blessed are the eyes which see the things that ye see] There is a similar saying to this among the rabbins, in Sohar. Genes., where it is said, "Blessed is that generation which the earth shall bear, when the King Messiah cometh."
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain See the notes at Mat 13:16-17.
See the notes at Mat 13:16-17.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain (See on Mat 13:16-17).
(See on Mat 13:16-17).
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain 23. Privately—To congratulate them particularly on the blessedness of…
23. Privately—To congratulate them particularly on the blessedness of the Gospel revelation to them in connection with the Seventy. These scenes are unknown and unappreciated by the great ones of the day; but the holier spirits of past ages had, and the unborn spirits of future ages will have, their eyes fixed on them. There was for the former a Christ in prophecy, for whose form they had looked with anxious expectation; and there is a Christ in history for the latter, on whom the best thinkers look back with wonder.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain 23. Blessed are the eyes] Comp. Mat_13:16.
23. Blessed are the eyes] Comp. Mat_13:16.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain (23-24) Blessed are the eyes which see the things…
(23-24) Blessed are the eyes which see the things that ye see . . .—Another instance of repeated words, St. Matthew reporting them as spoken after the parable of the Sower (Mat_13:16. See Note on that verse).
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain Vers. 23, 24. And he turned him unto his…
Vers. 23, 24. And he turned him unto his disciples, and said privately, Blessed are the eyes which see the things that ye see: for I tell you, that many prophets and kings have desired to see those things which ye see. Alluding, especially, to such prophets and their words as Balaam (in Num_24:17) and Jacob. (in Gen_49:18) Keble has a quaint verse here, striking, as is usual with him, the central truth "Save that each little voice in turn Some glorious truth proclaims; What sages would have died to learn, Now taught by cottage dames.
These last words, the evangelist expressly says, were spoken privately. In fact, such a statement could only have been addressed to the inner circle to those men (not exclusively the twelve) who had been much under the immediate influence of the Lord"s teaching about himself. Gradually their sense as to who and what he was becoming more acute. Glimpses of his Divinity ever and anon flashed before their eyes. But, to the last, their faith was very weak and wavering. Such words as these, after what had gone before, must have sunk deep into many of the listeners" hearts.
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Vers. 23, 24. Apostolic advantage and disadvantage.
Our Lord compares the position of his apostles with that of the great and enviable of past times. We may follow his thought and may also pursue the same line of comparison in our own times. We look at their position
I As RELATED TO DISTINGUISHED MEN BEFORE THE ADVENT.
1. It was one of some disadvantage; they were men in a very much humbler position than many of the great in past days. Great kings had lived in a social state and with pleasant surroundings to which they could lay no claim; in society they were nowhere; of this world"s luxuries and trappings they had nothing. Moreover, they were in a much less powerful position than some of the great men that had gone. Prophets had made or unmade kings; or they had delivered laws or changed customs, materially affecting the civil, social, moral, and religious life of the nation; witness Moses, Samuel, Elijah, Elisha, Nehemiah, John. The apostles of our Lord were not doing anything of this kind when he spoke to them; they had done very little of a public character thus far; their influence had not been felt in the life of their countrymen.
2. It was one of glorious advantage in one respect. They had the most distinguished honor of being the personal attendants upon the Messiah himself. They not only saw his face and heard his words, but they ministered to his wants; they rendered him service; and, by rendering him service, they contributed largely and importantly to the well-being of all later generations.
3. It was one of greater honor than they themselves supposed; for he at whose feet they sat and of whose truth they drank was One very much higher than they imagined even their Messiah would be; and he wrought a greater good for a larger world than they conceived it possible even for the Anointed of God to work.
II AS RELATED TO OURSELVES.
1. Their position was one of supreme privilege in one great particular they attended upon and they served Jesus Christ himself, in his own Person. That was an honor which stands by itself; it is unique; of its kind it is unapproachable. Let any disciple of the later time reach any imaginable position; he must feel that in actually ministering to our Lord, supplying his necessities, being sympathetically as well as bodily present "with him in his trials," helping him in his supreme and critical work, the apostles of our Lord stand pre-eminent.
2. And in being the.first to publish the gospel after our Lord"s ascension they also stand in the very front rank.
3. It was also a very distinct advantage to receive Christian truth direct, without intervening media, with nothing to subtract from it or to add to it; they had truth at the fountain source, uncorrupted by the channels through which it passed.
4. But they were subject to some disadvantage also.
(1) Jesus Christ was not, in his Divine Person, so fully revealed to them as he has been to us; that would have made free and full fellowship utterly impossible.
(2) His doctrine was not as complete at the time of our text as it afterwards became; for his death, resurrection, and ascension constitute a very large part of Christian truth.
(3) They had not the advantage of Christian experience we possess. All the thoughts of wise Christian thinkers during many centuries; all the recorded experience of multitudes of Christian lives; all the moral and spiritual workings and triumphs of Christian truth and principle under many skies and through many ages; these are ours as they were not theirs. Our privilege, even as compared with theirs, is very great indeed. Perchance our Lord would tell us, if he spake to us to-day, that it is as great as theirs, and that our responsibility answers to our privilege. C.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Biblical Illustrator 1887 · Public Domain Blessed are the eyes which see the things that…
Luk_10:23-24
Blessed are the eyes which see the things that ye see
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The gospel privileges
I.
THE THINGS HERE SPOKEN OF. The blessings of Christs revelation.
II. TO WHOM THEY WERE DEVISED. Not only to the great, but to the good. Not merely to the mighty kings of Nineveh, Assyria, Babylon, Egypt, Greece, and Rome, but to the holy and righteous--to Moses, to David, to Elijah.
III. To WHOM THEY WERE REVEALED. To the poor, despised, illiterate; to fishermen on the Galilean sea; to the sisters at Bethany; and, following in their train, to us at the present, whatever our character or position.
IV. THE OVERWHELMING PRIVILEGE WE ENJOY. More favoured than kings; more honoured than prophets; higher in the scale than all who have gone before.
V. THE HEIGHT OF OUR RESPONSIBILITY. If the prophets scarcely were saved, how shall it be with the present generation, if they neglect the privileges they enjoy? (The Preachers Analyst.)
Difference between the patriarchal, Jewish, and Christian dispensations
It is a common, but very just observation, that we are seldom dulysensible of the value of our blessings till we are deprived of them. This remark is applicable to our case, under the Christian dispensation. How few persons bless God that they dwell in the days of the Son of Man! The way to know how much we are distinguished, is, carefully to compare our situation with that of our fellow-creatures.
I. Let us survey the state of the HEATHEN WORLD. Place yourself, for a moment, amongst them, and consider what would then be your situation with respect to knowledge and virtue.
1. As to knowledge--everything among the heathens was obscure and uncertain.
2. In the heathen world also vice dreadfully prevailed. And what authority was there to check its prevalence? What principles strong enough to enable men to resist it? Their worship was base and degrading, offered in general to idols representing beings who were described as the patrons of corruption.
II. But let us turn our eyes from the state of the heathens, to the fairer view of those who were in some measure enlightened by Divine knowledge. To speak first of the PATRIARCHAL DISPENSATION--One great instance of its inferiority was its want of clear and sufficient authority. Probably the laws and observances enjoined by it were first communicated by God to Adam, and transmitted by him to his children. Now it is easy to see that such a religion would become more and more obscure, imperfect, and corrupt in every succeeding generation. Many things would be forgotten, many misunderstood, many improperly added. On the Mosaic DISPENSATION we now proceed to offer a few remarks. It may be considered as having been inferior to the Christian in the following particulars.
1. It was chiefly composed of types and shadows, of forms and ceremonies.
2. The Jewish dispensation abounded with severe and burdensome impositions.
3. The Mosaic dispensation is inferior to the Christian, inasmuch as the latter is founded upon better promises--better, as being of a more sublime and excellent nature, as being promises of spiritual and eternal things; such as grace, pardon, peace, and eternal life.
4. Another remarkable circumstance, in which the superiority of our dispensation consists, is, the larger and more abundant communication of the Holy Spirit.
5. Further: The Christian dispensation excels the Mosaic in the manner of its establishment.
6. The Christian dispensation is superior to the Jewish, in respect to the spirit of its institution. The spirit of the gospel is a spirit of liberty. (John Venn, M. A.)
National privileges
This is a noble text, and yet an awful one, for if it does not increase our godliness, it will certainly increase our condemnation. It tells us that we, even the meanest amongst us, are more favoured by God than the kings, and judges, and conquerors of the old world; that we have more light and knowledge of God than even the prophets David, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel, to whom Gods glory appeared in visible shape. It tells us that we see things which they longed to see and could not; that words are spoken to us for which their ears longed in vain; that they, though they died in hope, yet received not the promises, God having provided some better things for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.
1. Now, what was this which they longed for, and had not, and yet we have? It is this--a Saviour and a Saviours kingdom. All wise and holy hearts for ages--as well heathen as Jews--had has this longing. They wanted a Saviour--one who should free them from sin and conquer evil. They longed for a heavenly kingdom also. They saw that men got worse and worse as time rolled on, and that all the laws in the world could never make them good. They longed for a kingdom of God, a golden age, a regeneration of the world, as they called it, and rightly.
2. And now this kingdom is come, and the King of it, the Saviour of men, is Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Long men prayed, and long men waited, and at last, in the fulness of Gods good time, just when the night seemed darkest, and, under the abominations of the Roman Empire, religion, honesty, and common decency seemed to have died out, the Sun of
Righteousness rose on the dead and rotten world, to bring life and immortality to light.
3. And that we might not doubt that we too belonged to this kingdom, God has placed in this land His ministers and teachers, Christs Sacraments, Christs Churches, Christs Bible; that from our cradle to our grave we might see that we belonged, as sworn servants and faithful children, to the great Father in heaven and Jesus Christ, the King of the earth.
4. Thus, all that all men have longed for we possess; we want no more, and we shall have no more. If, under the present state of things, we cannot be holy, we shall never be holy. Blessed indeed are the eyes which see what you see, and hear what you bear; prophets and kings have desired to see and hear them, and have not seen or heard 1 But if you, cradled among all these despised honours and means of grace, bring forth no fruit in your lives--shut out from yourselves the thought of your high calling in Christ Jesus, what shall be your end but ruin? He that despises Christ, Christ will despise him. And say not to yourselves as many do, We are church-goers--we are all safe. I say to you, God is able, from among the negro and the savage--aye, God is able of these stones to raise up children, while those of you, the children of the kingdom, who lived in the Church of your fathers, and never used or loved her or Christ her King, shall be cast into outer darkness, where shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. (Charles Kingsley.)
Vainly they tried the deeps to sound
Even of their own prophetic thought,
When of Christ crucified and crowned
His Spirit in them taught:
But He their aching gaze repressed
Which sought behind the veil to see,
For not without us fully blessed
Or perfect might they be.
The rays of the Almightys face
No sinners eye might then receive;
Only the meekest man found grace
To see His skirts and live.
But we as in a glass espy
The glory of His countenance,
Not in a whirlwind hurrying by
The two presumptuous glance.
But with mild radiance every hour
From our dear Saviours face benign
Bent on us with transforming power,
Till we, too, faintly shine.
Sprinkled with His atoning blood
Safely before our God we stand,
As on the rock the prophet stood,
Beneath His shadowing hand.
Blessed eyes which see the things we see!
And yet this tree of life hath proved
To many a soul a poison-tree,
Beheld, and not beloved.
(John Keble.)
Our privileges
The privileges here referred to. What are the things we see and hear? Many answers might be given. We might tell of the progress of science, commerce, civilization--progress that is stupendous, amazing; and there is nothing of all this but has its value. But these are not the things that make us blessed. What are they? An Infant, cradled in a manger, shepherds and wise men bowing near--a meek and lowly Man, standing in the midst of a crowd, teaching and healing, while mockery and hatred look on--a Sufferer stretched upon a cross, His visage marred more than any man, and His form more than the sons of men--an opening sepulchre, and a figure rising, ascending, received up into glory--these are the things we see. Meanwhile, we hear the song of angels, proclaiming the birth of Messiah, and foretelling His glory--we hear the sweeter voice of Messiahs self, when gracious words proceed out of His mouth. Such are the things we see and hear: all of them, you perceive, referring to Christ--His Incarnation, Teaching, Life, Death, and Resurrection. And this isthe gospel! In this God reveals His purposes of mercy. Such is the gospel as we receive it--more complete than when our Lord spake the words of the text to His disciples. The position of ancient saints with regard to these privileges. Many prophets and righteous men have desired, etc. The fact here stated is two-fold: they had the desire--but it remained ungratified.
Take some passages by way of illustration. Christ says of Abraham: He rejoiced to see My day: and he saw it--that is, he exulted with the desire to see, and, by lively faith, clearly pictured it forth. Hero then is a specimen of the position of the patriarchs--Just as Moses climbed Mount Pisgah, and looked on Canaan, though he never crossed the Jordan: so Abraham climbed the mount of faith, and descried the distant scenes of our Lords life. How natural was the desire! The man who has taken an earnest part in some great undertaking naturally longs to see it accomplished. They desired to see the things that we see, and to hear the things that we hear. And yet--their desire remained ungratified. In this there is much that is instructive.
1. See the calm steady procession of the purposes of God! He has appointed a time for everything and nothing can derange His plan.
2. See the trial He gives His peoples faith! It is so still, is it not? How many of our hearts desires He denies us now. The faith of the ancient saints was tried--and strengthened by trial; and thus they became strong in faith, giving glory to God.
3. Brethren, let us prize our privileges. Here they are, in rich abundance; yet how often are we dull and cold in the midst of them all!
4. Impenitent man--beware! You, too, are surrounded by privileges. Isaiah, David, Daniel never saw what you see.
5. Some are coming after us, who will know more than we do. When we pass away, others will arise; and in regard to position, we are to them as the prophets were to us.
6. But those who have gone before--have not they, too, outstripped us? Think--what do they see and hear? We cannot tell!
7. O happy time when the whole Church shall be complete in glory! (F. Tucker.)
The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
B. W. Johnson 1891 · Public Domain 23, 24. See notes on Matt. 13:16, 17. A…
23, 24. See notes on Matt. 13:16, 17. A similar occasion calls for the same language here recorded.
B. W. Johnson's The People's New Testament with Notes (1889–1891) — public domain. Electronic text from the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (CCEL) ThML edition.
Paul E. Kretzmann 1924 · Public Domain The Good Samaritan.
The Good Samaritan.
The blessedness of Christ’s disciples:
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v. 23. And He turned Him unto His disciples, and said privately, Blessed are the eyes which see the things that ye see.
v. 24. For I tell you that many prophets and kings have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.
The disciples were not conscious of their great privilege, nor did they value it as highly as they should have. Jesus, therefore, addresses Himself to them alone and impresses upon them the glories of their station and of their calling as disciples and believers. Happy were their eyes since they were privileged to see Jesus, the Savior of the world, in the flesh. Many prophets and kings of the Old Testament had looked forward to the appearance of the Messiah with great longing, Gen 49:18; 2Sa 7:12. There had been many a Simeon and many an Anna that were longing to see the Savior with their own eyes. All this had fallen to the lot of the disciples without their seeking. They saw the eternal Word who was made flesh; they saw His glory, the glory as of the Only-Begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth; they heard from His own mouth the Word of eternal life. We Christians of the New Testament do not share the disadvantages of the believers of old. For though we are not able to see Jesus in the flesh, we have Him with us always, until the end of the world, Mat 28:20. And He is with us in His Word, in and through which we have communion with the Son and with the Father. "As though He would say: Now is a blessed time, a pleasant year, a time of mercy; the thing which now is present is so precious that the eyes which see it are fittingly called blessed. For till now the Gospel had not been preached so openly and clearly before everybody; the Holy Ghost had not been given openly, but was still hidden, and had little success. But Christ began the work of the Holy Ghost, and the apostles afterward carried it on with all earnestness; therefore He here in general calls those blessed that see and hear such grace."
Paul E. Kretzmann, Popular Commentary of the Bible (1921–1924) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 Then he turned around to the disciples and said…
Then he turned around to the disciples and said privately
The word "privately" indicates that he was alone with his disciples. AT: "Later, when he was alone with his disciples, he turned to them and said" (See: Assumed Knowledge and Implicit Information)
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Blessed are those who see the things that you see
This probably refers to the good works and miracles that Jesus was doing. AT: "How good it is for those who see the things that you see me doing" (See: Assumed Knowledge and Implicit Information)
and they did not see them
This implies that Jesus was not yet doing those things. AT: "but could not see them because I was not doing them yet" (See: Assumed Knowledge and Implicit Information)
the things that you hear
This probably refers to the teaching of Jesus. AT: "the things that you have heard me say" (See: Assumed Knowledge and Implicit Information)
and they did not hear them
This implies that Jesus was not yet teaching. AT: "but could not hear them because I had not yet started to teach" (See: Assumed Knowledge and Implicit Information)
translationWords
disciple
bless
prophet
king
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 10:23 that see what you have seen: The disciples…
10:23 that see what you have seen: The disciples witnessed the arrival of God’s promised salvation, the inauguration of the Kingdom of God.
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.