Luke 17:9

9 Does the servant get special thanks for doing what's expected of him?

Luke 17:9 Meaning and Commentary

Luke 17:9

Doth he thank that servant
As if he had done him a favour, and what he was not obliged to;

because he did the things that were commanded him?
for, as a servant, he ought to do them, and in so doing does but his duty: he may indeed be commended for it, but not thanked:

I trow not;
or "I think not"; it do not seem so to me, as if he would, or, as though it was proper and necessary he should. The Ethiopic version leaves out this last clause.

Luke 17:9 In-Context

7 "Suppose one of you has a servant who comes in from plowing the field or tending the sheep. Would you take his coat, set the table, and say, 'Sit down and eat'?

8 Wouldn't you be more likely to say, 'Prepare dinner; change your clothes and wait table for me until I've finished my coffee; then go to the kitchen and have your supper'?

9 Does the servant get special thanks for doing what's expected of him?

10 It's the same with you. When you've done everything expected of you, be matter-of-fact and say, 'The work is done. What we were told to do, we did.'"

11 It happened that as he made his way toward Jerusalem, he crossed over the border between Samaria and Galilee.