SEV Biblia, Chapter 18:12
ayuno lo de dos comidas cada sábado, doy diezmos de todo lo que poseo.
Clarke's Bible Commentary - Luke 18:12
Verse 12. I give tithes of all that I possess.] Or, of all I acquire, ktwmai. Raphelius has well observed, that this verb, in the present tense, signifies to acquire-in the preter, to possess: the Pharisee's meaning seems to be, "As fast as I gain any thing, I give the tenth part of it to the house of God and to the poor." Those who dedicate a certain part of their earnings to the Lord should never let it rest with themselves, lest possession should produce covetousness. This was the Pharisee's righteousness, and the ground on which he builded his hope of final salvation. That the Pharisees had a strong opinion of their own righteousness, the following history will prove:-" Rabbi Simeon, the son of Jochai, said: The whole world is not worth thirty righteous persons, such as our father Abraham. If there were only thirty righteous persons in the world, I and my son should make two of them; but if there were but twenty, I and my son would be of the number; and if there were but ten, I and my son would be of the number: and if there were but five, I and my son would be of the five; and if there were but two, I and my son would be those two; and if there were but one, myself should be that one." Bereshith Rabba, s. 35, fol. 34. This is a genuine specimen of Pharisaic pride. No wonder that our Lord accused these of pride and vain glory: they were far from humility, and consequently far from righteousness.
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 12. I fast twice in the week , etc.] Not “on the sabbath”, as the words may be literally rendered, and as they are in the Vulgate Latin and Ethiopic versions; for the sabbath was not a fasting, but a feasting day with the Jews; for they were obliged to eat three meals, or feasts, on a sabbath day, one in the morning, another at evening, and another at the time of the meat offering: even the poorest man in Israel, who was maintained by alms, was obliged to keep these three feasts f582 . It was forbidden a man to fast, until the sixth hour, on a sabbath day; that is, till noon f583 : wherefore, it is a great mistake in Justin and Suetonius f585 , that the sabbath was kept by the Jews as a fast. But the word is rightly rendered, “in the week”; the whole seven days, or week, were by the Jews commonly called the sabbath; hence, tbçb dja , “the first of the sabbath”, and the second of the sabbath, and the third of the sabbath f586 ; that is, the first, second, and third days of the week. Now the two days in the week on which they fasted were Monday and Thursday, the second and fifth days; on which days the law of Moses, and the book of Esther were read, by the order of Ezra f587 ; and fasts for the congregation were appointed on those days f588 ; and so a private person, or a single man, as in this instance, took upon him, or chose to fast on the same f589 : the reason of this is, by some, said to be, because Moses went up to Mount Sinai on a Thursday, and came down on a Monday f590 . But though these men fasted so often, they took care not to hurt themselves; for they allowed themselves to eat in the night till break of day. It is asked f591 , “how long may a man eat and drink, i.e. on a fast day? until the pillar of the morning ascends (day breaks); these are the words of Rabbi (Judah): R. Eliezer ben Simeon says, until cock crowing.”
So that they had not so much reason to boast of these performances: he adds, I give tithes of all that I possess ; not only of what was tithable by the law of Moses, as the produce of his ground; and by the traditions of the elders, as the herbs in his garden, ( Matthew 23:23) but of every thing he had, which was not required by either of them; upon which he thought himself a very righteous person, and more than a common man: it is asked f592 , “who is a plebeian? (one of the people of the earth, or the common people) whoever does not eat his common food with purity with hands washed; these are the words of R. Meir; but the wise men say, whoever does not tithe his fruit.”
This man would not be thought to be such an one.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 9-14 - This parable was to convince some who trusted in themselves that the were righteous, and despised others. God sees with what disposition an design we come to him in holy ordinances. What the Pharisee said, show that he trusted to himself that he was righteous. We may suppose he wa free from gross and scandalous sins. All this was very well an commendable. Miserable is the condition of those who come short of the righteousness of this Pharisee, yet he was not accepted; and why not He went up to the temple to pray, but was full of himself and his ow goodness; the favour and grace of God he did not think worth asking Let us beware of presenting proud devotions to the Lord, and of despising others. The publican's address to God was full of humility and of repentance for sin, and desire toward God. His prayer was short but to the purpose; God be merciful to me a sinner. Blessed be God that we have this short prayer upon record, as an answered prayer; an that we are sure that he who prayed it, went to his house justified for so shall we be, if we pray it, as he did, through Jesus Christ. He owned himself a sinner by nature, by practice, guilty before God. He had no dependence but upon the mercy of God; upon that alone he relied And God's glory is to resist the proud, and give grace to the humble Justification is of God in Christ; therefore the self-condemned, an not the self-righteous, are justified before God.
Greek Textus Receptus
νηστευω 3522 5719 V-PAI-1S δις 1364 ADV του 3588 T-GSN σαββατου 4521 N-GSN αποδεκατω 586 5719 V-PAI-1S παντα 3956 A-APN οσα 3745 K-APN κτωμαι 2932 5736 V-PNI-1S-C
Vincent's NT Word Studies
12. Twice in the week. The law required only one fast in the year, that on the great day of Atonement (Lev. xvi. 29; Num. xxix. 7); though public memorial fasts were added, during the Captivity, on the anniversaries of national calamities. The Pharisees fasted every Monday and Thursday during the weeks between the Passover and Pentecost, and again between the Feast of Tabernacles and that of the Dedication of the Temple.I give tithes (apodekatw). See on Matt. xxiii. 23.
Possess (ktwmai). Wrong. The Israelite did not pay tithes of his possessions, but only of his gains - his annual increase. See Genesis xxviii. 22; Deut. xiv. 22. Besides, the verb, in the present tense, does not mean to possess, but to acquire; the meaning possess being confined to the perfect and pluperfect. Rev., get. Compare Matt. x. 9 (Rev.); Acts xxii. 28; Luke xxi. 19 (on which see note); 1 Thess. iv. 4 (Rev.).
Robertson's NT Word Studies
18:12 {Twice in the week} (dis tou sabbatou). One fast a year was required by the law (#Le 16:29; Nu 29:7). The Pharisees added others, twice a week between passover and pentecost, and between tabernacles and dedication of the temple. {I get} (ktwmai). Present middle indicative, not perfect middle kektemai (I possess). He gave a tithe of his income, not of his property.
