Luke 14:18

But one after another they all ¹  began to make excuses. ²  The first said to him, ‘I have bought a field, ³  and I must go out and see it. Please excuse me.’ ⁴ 

Isa 28:12,13; Isa 29:11,12; Jer 5:4,5; Jer 6:10,16,17; Mt 22:5,6; Mt 24:38,39; Lu 8:14; Lu 17:26-31; Lu 18:24; Lu 20:4,5; Joh 1:11; Joh 5:40; Ac 13:45,46; Ac 18:5,6; Ac 28:25-27; 1Ti 6:9,10; 2Ti 4:4,10; Heb 12:16; 1Jo 2:15,16

¹ tn Or “all unanimously” (BDAG 107 s.v. ἀπό 6). "One after another" is suggested by L&N 61.2.

² sn To make excuses and cancel at this point was an insult in the culture of the time. Regardless of customs concerning responses to invitations, refusal at this point was rude.

³ sn I have bought a field. An examination of newly bought land was a common practice. It was this person’s priority.

⁴ sn The expression Please excuse me is probably a polite way of refusing, given the dynamics of the situation, although it is important to note that an initial acceptance had probably been indicated and it was now a bit late for a refusal. The semantic equivalent of the phrase may well be “please accept my apologies.”