Luke 14:23

The highways and hedges (ta odou kai pragmou). The public roads outside the city of Judaism just as the streets and lanes were inside the city. The heathen are to be invited this time. Hedges is fenced in places from prassw, to fence in ( Romans 3:19 ). Compel (anagkason). First aorist active imperative of anagkazw, from anagkh (verse Luke 14:18 ). By persuasion of course. There is no thought of compulsory salvation. "Not to use force, but to constrain them against the reluctance which such poor creatures would feel at accepting the invitation of a great lord" (Vincent). As examples of such "constraint" in this verb see Matthew 14:22 ; Acts 26:11 ; Galatians 6:12 . That my house may be filled (ina gemisqh mou o oiko). First aorist passive subjunctive of gemizw, to fill full, old verb from gemw, to be full. Effective aorist. Subjunctive with ina in final clause. The Gentiles are to take the place that the Jews might have had ( Romans 11:25 ). Bengel says: Nec natura nec gratia patitur vacuum.