{Desiring to justify himself} (	hel(936e) dikai(9373)ai heauton).
The lawyer saw at once that he had convicted himself of asking a
question that he already knew. In his embarrassment he asks
another question to show that he did have some point at first:
{And who is my neighbour?} (kai tis estin mou pl(8873)ion;). The
Jews split hairs over this question and excluded from "neighbour"
Gentiles and especially Samaritans. So here was his loop-hole. A
neighbour is a nigh dweller to one, but the Jews made racial
exceptions as many, alas, do today. The word pl(8873)ion here is an
adverb (neuter of the adjective pl(8873)ios) meaning ho pl(8873)ion
(936e) (the one who is near), but (936e) was usually not expressed and
the adverb is here used as if a substantive.