Lucas 7:5

5 Que ama nuestra nación, y él nos edificó una sinagoga.

Lucas 7:5 Meaning and Commentary

Luke 7:5

For he loveth our nation
The Jewish nation, which was Christ's nation, as well as theirs, he being a Jew; see ( John 18:35 ) . This they mention as an argument to induce him to have a regard to the centurion, though he was a Gentile; since he was a friend of the Jews, and well affected and disposed to them, which was very rare: it was not common for the Gentiles to love the Jews, any more than the Jews the Gentiles; there was an hatred, yea, an enmity between them; but this man, very likely, was a proselyte to their religion, as the following instance seems to show:

and he hath built us a synagogue;
at his own private charge, and by the assistance of his soldiers under him, whom he might employ in this work: sometimes a single person built a synagogue at his own expense, and gave it to the citizens; of which the Jews say, F15

``if a man builds an house, and afterwards devotes it to a synagogue, it is as a synagogue.''


FOOTNOTES:

F15 Piske Harosh Megilia, c. 4. art. 1.

Lucas 7:5 In-Context

3 Y como oyó hablar de Jesús, envió á él los ancianos de los Judíos, rogándole que viniese y librase á su siervo.
4 Y viniendo ellos á Jesús, rogáronle con diligencia, diciéndole: Porque es digno de concederle esto;
5 Que ama nuestra nación, y él nos edificó una sinagoga.
6 Y Jesús fué con ellos. Mas como ya no estuviesen lejos de su casa, envió el centurión amigos á él, diciéndole: Señor, no te incomodes, que no soy digno que entres debajo de mi tejado;
7 Por lo cual ni aun me tuve por digno de venir á ti; mas di la palabra, y mi siervo será sano.
The Reina-Valera Antigua (1602) is in the public domain.