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Luke 13:16
ESV And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath day?"
NIV Then should not this woman, a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has kept bound for eighteen long years, be set free on the Sabbath day from what bound her?"
NASB And this woman, a daughter of Abraham as she is, whom Satan has bound for eighteen long years, should she not have been released from this restraint on the Sabbath day?'
CSB Satan has bound this woman, a daughter of Abraham, for eighteen years—shouldn’t she be untied from this bondage on the Sabbath day?"
NLT This dear woman, a daughter of Abraham, has been held in bondage by Satan for eighteen years. Isn’t it right that she be released, even on the Sabbath?'
KJV And ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath bound, lo, these eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the sabbath day?
NKJV So ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound—think of it—for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath?”

What does Luke 13:16 mean?

Jesus is defending His choice to heal a woman on the Sabbath. She had been oppressed for eighteen years by a demon that deformed her back until she couldn't stand up straight. With a comment and a touch, Jesus freed her from her skeletal prison. The ruler of the synagogue was horrified that He would work on the Sabbath (Luke 13:10–14).

The Oral Law that the Pharisees follow states that life-threatening illnesses and injuries can be cared for on the Sabbath—after all, how can someone obey the Law if they're dead? But chronic conditions must wait. And yet, Jesus points out, every person there would lead their ox or donkey to fresh water on the Sabbath, even if it meant walking over half a mile. A donkey can go without water for three days! But to make sure the donkey is well and ready to work, a good farmer would show more compassion (Luke 13:15).

As intelligent and delightful as donkeys are, and as useful as oxen are, in God's eyes they are nothing compared to a woman. Jesus points out that this woman is a daughter of Abraham and one of God's chosen people. Why wouldn't God want to give her comfort on the Sabbath? The Sabbath is the day of rest, and what greater rest could she receive than healing and deliverance? God had told the Israelites, "I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, that you should not be their slaves. And I have broken the bars of your yoke and made you walk erect" (Leviticus 26:13). In the same way, God released this woman from slavery under a demon and allowed her to walk tall with honor.

Jesus gets in a little jab, too. Perhaps because He is the guest of honor, the synagogue leader did not confront Him with the fact He healed on the Sabbath. He confronted the woman and the crowd, saying, "There are six days in which work ought to be done. Come on those days and be healed, and not on the Sabbath day" (Luke 13:14). Jesus points out that the woman didn't do the work. He liberated her. He did the work.

Jesus is the Lord of the Sabbath (Luke 6:5) and His arrival is the inauguration of the kingdom of God. He is also the personification of our Sabbath rest (Hebrews 4:1–13). He created the Sabbath for humans (Colossians 1:16; Genesis 2:2–3); He did not create humans for the Sabbath (Mark 2:27). The religious leaders are witnesses to a battle between the Son of God and Satan. The Lord's day of rest is a perfectly appropriate time to witness the power and authority that will ultimately defeat Satan forever. If the leaders disagree, they side with an evil power that wishes people were bound in defeat (Luke 11:46).
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