Lucas 6 (Spanish RV 1909) - Bible Truth Library

• This illustrates His teaching at the close of chapter 5, and in result the “bottle” of the Jewish Sabbath burst, and grace flows forth in spite of them. (“Luke 6” by F.B. Hole)

• The words, “The second sabbath after the first,” (ch. 6:1) refer we believe to Lev. 23:9-14, and are intended to show us that the “wave-sheaf” had already been offered, and hence there was no objection to the action of the disciples. (“Luke 6” by F.B. Hole)

J. N. Darby Translation

And it came to pass on the second-firstd sabbath, that he went through cornfields, and his disciples were plucking the ears and eating them, rubbing them in their hands.

JND Translation Notes

The expression "second-first sabbath" is explained thus. The year, as regards the worship of God amongst the Jews, began with the month Abib (Heb. "green corn"), which lasted from the middle of March to the middle of April. In Leviticus 23, in which we find the Jewish feasts described, we may observe that in addition to the general and weekly recurring feasts of the sabbath, the chief feasts begin with the passover (the 14th of Abib), and that, in immediate connexion with it, it was ordained that on the day after the following sabbath the first-fruits of the corn should be offered in the ear, a foreshadowing of the resurrection of Jesus which took place on the morrow after the sabbath of the passover week, or feast of unleavened bread. The sabbath immediately following the passover was therefore the "first" or great sabbath, and after the offering of the first-fruits on the morrow after the sabbath, the first day of the week, the harvest might be commenced, and the new corn eaten, which was not permitted before, even though corn stood ripe in the fields. On the following sabbath, the "second" after the "first" or great sabbath, we see that the disciples ate ears of corn on the way, for the offering of the first-fruits had already taken place on the first day of the week; and, as seven weeks or sabbaths were counted from this day to the feast of Pentecost, it was therefore the "first" of these seven sabbaths, or the "second" with reference to the great sabbath of the Passover.

W. Kelly Translation

And it came to pass on the second-first Sabbatha, that he went through cornfields, and his disciples were plucking the ears of corn, and eating [them], rubbing them in their hands.

WK Translation Notes

"second-first Sabbath." The word ’second-first’ (deuterōpōtos) or in some MSS. (deuterō prōtos) is, in my judgment, part of the inspired text, as exhibited in the vast majority of manuscripts, though not given by some of the most ancient copies. This is due to the difficulty of the phrase. We may easily account by the difficulty of the phrase and its absence, not only in the corresponding passages of Matthew and Mark, but everywhere else. It was the earliest Sabbath after the firstfruits had been offered. The Passover took place immediately before, the paschal lamb was killed on the fourteenth of Nisan between the evenings. Then followed the great Sabbath immediately, and on the day after, the first sheaf of corn was waved before the Lord. From the day on which it was offered, seven weeks were counted complete with their Sabbaths, and then came the next great feast, the feast of weeks. The first of these Sabbaths in the seven weeks was counted from the day of the wave sheaf; it was not the great paschal Sabbath, but it followed next in succession. The Sabbath that opened the feast of unleavened bread after the Passover was the first, and the following Sabbath day was "the second-first." It was "second" in relation to that great day, the paschal Sabbath, but "first" of the seven which immediately ensued. Thus it was the first Sabbath-day after the wave sheaf.

WK Verse Note

(Note: Words in italics have been inserted from the J. N. Darby translation where the W. Kelly translation doesn’t exist.)