Was Jesus Short?
(Luke 19:3)
Was Jesus Short?
In Luke 19, we learn about Zaccheus the tax collector (Luke 19:2) who had to climb up a tree to see Jesus (Luke 19:4). Luke 19:3 is interesting, as some believe it may apply to Jesus, not Zaccheus: "Zaccheus was trying to see who Jesus was, and was unable because of the crowd, for he was small in stature," (Luke 19:3 NASB1995). This a minority reading that most scholars reject (Keener 228).
As Dr. Gill writes, "because he was little of stature. The Syriac and Persic versions read, "because Zacchaeus was little of stature", lest it should be thought that this is said of Jesus; for the reason why Zacchaeus could not see him for the crowd, was not because Christ was little of stature, and was hid among them, but because Zacchaeus was little of stature, and could not see over their heads," (Gill).
The structure of the passage also indicates that it was Zacchaeus who was small. The verse is centered around Zacchaeus and his situation, not Jesus, so it would be strange for Jesus to be described here.
Looking at the original Greek, "Καὶ ἐζήτει ἰδεῖν τὸν Ἰησοῦν τίς ἐστιν, καὶ οὐκ ἠδύνατο ἀπὸ τοῦ ὄχλου, ὅτι τῇ ἡλικίᾳ μικρὸς ἦν," we see that Zacchaeus is the subject of the sentence. The phrase "he was seeking" or "ἐζήτει" refers to Zacchaeus (Luke 19:2-3). Jesus, or in Greek "Ἰησοῦν," is in the accusative case, meaning it is the direct object of the action, not the subject. In the sentence "the boy has an apple," the boy is the subject, while the apple is the direct object (the accusative case in Greek). The adjective "μικρὸς" (small) refers to the subject of the sentence, which is Zacchaeus, as it appears in the nominative case. Therefore, Luke 19 does not describe Jesus as small, but rather, Zacchaeus.
References:
Keener, Craig S.. The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament, 2nd Edition. United Kingdom, InterVarsity Press, 2014.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
Wolever, Terry. John Gill's Exposition of the Old and New Testaments: Some Background on the First Three Editions. United States, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, 2018.