Luke 18:31
in Luke 18Then Jesus took the Twelve aside and said to them, “Look, we are going up to Jerusalem, and everything the prophets have written about the Son of Man will be fulfilled.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And he took unto him the twelve, and said unto them, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and all the things that are written through the prophets shall be accomplished unto the Son of man.
KJV
Then he took unto him the twelve, and said unto them, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of man shall be accomplished.
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This verse in Luke 18
Commentary
19 notes on this verseThe blessed prophet David has spoken one of those things which are of great importance for our benefit, especially as it refers to what is of constant occurrence, so to speak, to men's minds. "For I was prepared, he says, and was not troubled." For whatever happens unexpectedly, whenever it is of a serious character, exposes even courageous persons to agitation and alarm, and sometimes to unendurable terrors. But when it has been mentioned before that it will happen, its attack is easily averted. And this, I think, is the meaning of, "I was prepared, and was not troubled."
This site's exposition
we are going up to Jerusalem
on Luke 18:31-34
In Luke's third passion prediction, Jesus ties His suffering to Scripture: everything the prophets have written about the Son of Man will be fulfilled. The disciples did not understand, for plain words met minds unable to receive a suffering Messiah.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers3 voices
That they might therefore be aware both that He foreknew His passion, and though it was in His power easily to escape, that yet of His own will He advanced to meet it, He told them beforehand what would happen. In saying then, "Behold, we go up to Jerusalem," He, so to speak, testified urgently and commanded them to remember what had been foretold. And He added necessarily, that all these things had been foretold by the holy prophets. For Isaiah, as in the person of Christ, says; "I have given My back to scourgings, and My cheeks to buffetings: and My face I have not turned away from the shame of spittings." And again, in another place, He says of Him, "As a sheep He was led to the slaughter, and was silent, as a lamb before its shearer." And again, "All we like sheep have gone astray: every one has gone astray in his path: and the Lord has delivered Him up because of our sins." And again the blessed David also in the twenty-first Psalm, painting as it were beforehand the sufferings upon the cross, has set before us Jesus speaking as one that lo! already was hanging upon the tree, "But I am a worm, and not a man: the reproach of men, and a thing rejected of the people. […]
(Hom. 65. in Matt.) He speaks with His disciples apart, concerning His Passion. For it was not fitting to publish this word to the multitudes, lest they should be troubled, but to His disciples He foretold it, that being habituated by expectation, they might be the more able to bear it.
And to convince them that He foreknew His Passion, and of His own accord came to it, that they might not say, "How has He fallen into the hands of the enemy, who promised us salvation?" He relates in order the successive events of the Passion; He shall be delivered unto the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and scourged, and spitted on.
The Medieval Church2 voices
(Hom. 2. in Ev.) The Saviour foreseeing that the hearts of His disciples would be troubled at His Passion, tells them long beforehand both the suffering of His Passion and the glory of His Resurrection.
Our Redeemer, foreseeing that the souls of the disciples would be troubled by His passion, foretold to them long beforehand both the suffering of that same passion and the glory of His resurrection, so that when they saw Him dying, as had been predicted, they would not doubt that He would also rise again.
12 more voices on this verse
The Medieval Church5 voices
I marvel at the folly of those who ask how Christ rose again before the three days. If indeed He rose later than he had foretold, it were a mark of weakness, but if sooner, a token of the highest power. For when we see …
Jesus took the twelve aside and said to them, "Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of Man will be accomplished. For he will be delivered to the Gentiles, and will be mocked, …
And knowing that there would arise certain heretics, saying, that Christ taught things contrary to the Law and the Prophets, He shows already that the voices of the Prophets had proclaimed the accomplishment of His Passion, and the glory which should follow.
The Lord foretells His sufferings to the disciples for two purposes. First, to show that He would be crucified not against His will and not as a mere man unaware of His death, but that He knows of it beforehand and will endure it voluntarily. …
Now Jesus took the twelve etc. After he showed poverty to be commendable and desirable through the perfection of its merit, through the imperfection of its contrary, and through the consummation of its accumulated reward, here fourthly he shows it to be worthy of approval …
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
Two things here are which we had not in the other evangelists:-- 1. The sufferings of Christ are here spoken of as the fulfilling of the scriptures, with which consideration Christ reconciled himself to them, and would reconcile them: All things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of man, especially the hardships he should undergo, shall be accomplished.
Then he took unto him the twelve,....
The Nineteenth Century5 voices
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
See the notes at Mat 20:17-19. By the prophets - Those who foretold the coming of the Messiah, and whose predictions are recorded in the Old Testament. Son of man - The Messiah. They predicted that certain things would take place respecting the Messiah that was to come. See the Dan 9:25-27 notes; Isa. 53 notes. “These things,” Jesus said, would be accomplished “in him,” he being the Son of man, or the Messiah.
A commentator
J.C. Ryle1816–1900
Expository Thoughts on the Gospels: Luke (lightly modernized text, Grace Gems edition) (1858)
The promise before us is a very particular one. It does not refer to the believer's reward in the eternal world, and the unfading crown of glory. It refers distinctly to the life that now is. It is spoken of "this present time." The "many times as much" of the promise must evidently be taken in a spiritual sense. The meaning is, that the believer shall find in Christ — a full equivalent for anything that he is obliged to give up for Christ's sake.
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
all written by the prophets concerning the Son of man . . . be accomplished--showing how Christ Himself read, and would have us to read, the Old Testament, in which some otherwise evangelical interpreters find no prophecies, or virtually none, of the sufferings of the Son of man.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — starts-lowercase
A commentator
J.C. Ryle1816–1900
Expository Thoughts on the Gospels: Luke (lightly modernized text, Grace Gems edition) (1858)
proposed
The promise before us is a very particular one. It does not refer to the believer's reward in the eternal world, and the unfading crown of glory. It refers distinctly to the life that now is. It is spoken of "this present time." The "many times as much" of the promise must evidently be taken in a spiritual sense. The meaning is, that the believer shall find in Christ — a full equivalent for anything that he is obliged to give up for Christ's sake. He shall find such peace, and hope, and joy, and comfort, and rest — in communion with the Father and the Son — that his earthly losses shall be more than counter-balanced by his spiritual gains. In short, the Lord Jesus Christ shall be more to him — than property, or relatives, or friends. The complete fulfillment of this wonderful promise has been often seen in the experience of God's saints. Hundreds could testify in every age of the church, that when they were obliged to give up everything for the kingdom of God's sake — their earthly losses were amply supplied by Christ's grace. They were kept in perfect peace, staying their souls on Jesus. They were enabled to glory in tribulation, and to take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in distresses — for Christ's sake (Romans 5:3, 2 Corinthians 12:10.) They were enabled in the darkest hour — to rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory; and to count it an honor to suffer shame for their Master's name. (1 Peter 1:8, Acts 5:41.) The last day will show that in poverty and in exile — in prisons and before tribunals — in the fire and under the sword — the words of Christ before us have repeatedly been made good. Friends have often proved faithless. Great promises have often been broken. Riches have made themselves wings. But Christ's engagements have never been known to fail. Let us grasp this promise firmly.
Behold, we go up to Jerusalem - See the notes on this discourse, Mat 20:17-19 (note), and Mar 10:32 (note).
The words behind it
23 Greek wordsEvery Greek word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Greek | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Παραλαβὼν | paralabon | Having taken aside | G3880 → | 49 times |
| δὲ | de | then | G1161 → | 2765 times |
| τοὺς | tous | the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| δώδεκα | dodeka | Twelve | G1427 → | 75 times |
| εἶπεν | eipen | He said | G2036 → | 925 times |
| πρὸς | pros | to | G4314 → | 700 times |
| αὐτούς· | autous | them; | G846 → | 5565 times |
| ἰδοὺ | idou | Behold | G2400 → | 200 times |
| ἀναβαίνομεν | anabainomen | we go up | G305 → | 82 times |
| εἰς | eis | to | G1519 → | 1755 times |
| Ἰερουσαλήμ, | ierousalem | Jerusalem, | G2419 → | 76 times |
| καὶ | kai | and | G2532 → | 9120 times |
| τελεσθήσεται | telesthesetai | will be accomplished | G5055 → | 28 times |
| πάντα | panta | all things | G3956 → | 1235 times |
| τὰ | ta | which | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| γεγραμμένα | gegrammena | written | G1125 → | 189 times |
| διὰ | dia | through | G1223 → | 664 times |
| τῶν | ton | the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| προφητῶν | propheton | prophets | G4396 → | 144 times |
| τῷ | to | about the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| υἱῷ | huio | Son | G5207 → | 377 times |
| τοῦ | tou | <the> | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| ἀνθρώπου· | anthropou | of Man; | G444 → | 549 times |
ΠαραλαβὼνHaving taken aside
paralabonG3880 →49 times
δὲthen
deG1161 →2765 times
τοὺςthe
tousG3588 →19766 times
δώδεκαTwelve
dodekaG1427 →75 times
εἶπενHe said
eipenG2036 →925 times
πρὸςto
prosG4314 →700 times
αὐτούς·them;
autousG846 →5565 times
ἰδοὺBehold
idouG2400 →200 times
ἀναβαίνομενwe go up
anabainomenG305 →82 times
εἰςto
eisG1519 →1755 times
Ἰερουσαλήμ,Jerusalem,
ierousalemG2419 →76 times
καὶand
kaiG2532 →9120 times
τελεσθήσεταιwill be accomplished
telesthesetaiG5055 →28 times
πάνταall things
pantaG3956 →1235 times
τὰwhich
taG3588 →19766 times
γεγραμμέναwritten
gegrammenaG1125 →189 times
διὰthrough
diaG1223 →664 times
τῶνthe
tonG3588 →19766 times
προφητῶνprophets
prophetonG4396 →144 times
τῷabout the
toG3588 →19766 times
υἱῷSon
huioG5207 →377 times
τοῦ<the>
touG3588 →19766 times
ἀνθρώπου·of Man;
anthropouG444 →549 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
5 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Matthew 16:21From that time on Jesus began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests, and scribes, and that He must…
it leads to
- Luke 24:6–7
He is not here; He has risen! Remember how He told you while He was still in Galilee:
- Matthew 20:17–19
As Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, He took the twelve disciples aside and said,
- Matthew 17:22–23
When they gathered together in Galilee, Jesus told them, “The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men.
- 1 Corinthians 15:3–4
For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,
- Matthew 17:12
But I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but have done to him whatever they wished. In the same way, the Son of Man will suffer at…
- Luke 24:6–7
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About Luke

Who and where
1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on 17 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Alexander Maclaren, Expositions of Holy Scripture, Luke; Bede, On the Gospel of Luke; Bede, Catena Aurea by Aquinas; Bonaventure, Commentary on Luke, Chapter 18; Cyril of Alexandria, COMMENTARY ON LUKE, HOMILY 125; Cyril of Alexandria, Catena Aurea by Aquinas; Gregory the Dialogist, Catena Aurea by Aquinas; Gregory the Dialogist, Forty Gospel Homilies, Homily 2; Isidore of Seville, Commentary (church-history corpus); J.C. Ryle, Expository Thoughts on the Gospels: Luke (lightly modernized text, Grace Gems edition); Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Chrysostom, Catena Aurea by Aquinas; John Gill, Exposition of the New Testament (1746-1748); Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible and Theophylact of Ohrid, Commentary on Luke.
