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Bible expressions we still use
A good Samaritan
Luke 10 · a parable on the road from Jerusalem to Jericho
Asked “And who is my neighbor?”, Jesus told of a man going down from Jerusalem to Jericho who fell into the hands of robbers (Luke 10:29–30). The road really goes down: Jericho lies about 27 kilometers away and roughly 1,000 meters lower, through lonely desert hills. A priest and a Levite passed by on the other side. A Samaritan stopped, bandaged the wounds, “pouring on oil and wine”, and brought the man to an inn — probably a walled courtyard with water and shelter for travelers — and left two denarii, two days’ wages. Listeners would not have expected that hero. Samaritans lived between Judea and Galilee, worshiped on Mount Gerizim instead of in Jerusalem and kept only the five books of Moses, and Jews and Samaritans kept apart (John 4:9).
Today “a good Samaritan” is anyone who helps a stranger in trouble without being asked and without expecting anything back — a passerby who stops at a car accident, for example. Some countries have “Good Samaritan laws” that protect people who give first aid in an emergency, and hospitals and charities carry the name.
Key verses
But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” Jesus took up this question and said, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him, beat him, and went away, leaving him half dead.Now by chance a priest was going down the same road, but when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. So too, when a Levite came to that spot and saw him, he passed by on the other side.But when a Samaritan on a journey came upon him, he looked at him and had compassion. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him.The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Take care of him,’ he said, ‘and on my return I will repay you for any additional expense.’“You are a Jew,” said the woman. “How can You ask for a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.)Sources
Adapted and shortened from the Tyndale Open Bible Dictionary · CC BY-SA 4.0
Tyndale Open Bible Dictionary © 2023 Tyndale House Publishers · CC BY-SA 4.0 — Samaritans; Jericho; Inn; Denarius*
Adapted from Tyndale Open Bible Dictionary: articles chosen, shortened and retold in our own words (history, nature and daily life only) and, in languages other than English, machine-translated. The original work by Tyndale House Publishers is available for free at tyndaleopenresources.com.
