Luke 19:4

He ran before. Zacchaeus heard the news of Jesus’ arrival as the Master entered Jericho (see DA 553). No doubt with the throngs of people passing through the city on the way to the Passover the chief tax collector (see on v. 2) would be more than usually busy. But he left everything in order to catch a glimpse of Jesus.

Climbed up. A rather undignified procedure for a well-dressed gentleman such as Zacchaeus. He was willing to be thought odd rather than miss the opportunity of a fleeting glimpse of the Man he so much wanted to see. It is likely that the tree Zacchaeus climbed was on the western outskirts of the city (see on Mark 10:46) rather than in one of the narrow city streets (see on Luke 19:3).

Sycomore. Gr. sukomorea, the sycamore-fig tree, also called the white, or fig, mulberry tree. The name sukomorea is believed to have been derived from sukon, “fig,” and morea, “mulberry tree,” because of the fact that its leaves resembled those of the mulberry tree, and its fruit that of the fig tree. It has low, spreading branches, and makes a fine shade tree. Trees such as this would seldom if ever be found in the narrow streets of ancient cities, but often by the roadside beyond the city gates (see on Mark 10:46). See on Amos 7:14; Luke 17:6.