Luke 20:45
in Luke 20In the hearing of all the people, Jesus said to His disciples,
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And in the hearing of all the people he said unto his disciples,
KJV
Then in the audience of all the people he said unto his disciples,
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This verse in Luke 20
Commentary
10 notes on this verseTo keep the company of the holy disciples free from disgraceful faults, he usefully testifies. He says, "Beware of the scribes and Pharisees." That means do not expose yourselves to be the prey of their vices and do not be partakers of their disregard of God. What was their custom? They walked in the streets beautifully clothed, dragging with them a pompous dignity to catch the praises of those who saw them. While they were wicked and their hearts were full of all dishonesty, they falsely assumed to themselves the reputation of piety.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers2 voices
The passions of the Scribes were the love of vainglory and the love of gain. That the disciples should avoid these hateful crimes, He gives them this warning, and adds, And love greetings in the markets.
(Hom. 19. in Joann.) Now nothing is more powerful than to argue from the Prophets. For this is even of more weight than miracles themselves. For when Christ worked miracles, He was often gainsayed. But when He cited the Prophets, men were at once silent, because they had nothing to say. But when they were silent, He warns against them; as it is said, Then in the audience of all the people he said to his disciples.
The Medieval Church1 voice
And in the hearing of all the people, etc. After he had confuted the Pharisees, who erred from malice, and the Sadducees, who erred from ignorance, here thirdly he instructs the disciples in prudence. And since prudence consists in three things, namely in caution against …
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
Then in the audience of all the people,.... Whilst they were about him, and hearing him, and for their sakes too; he said unto his disciples; yea, he spake to the multitude, as well as to the disciples, as appears from Mat 23:1.
Christ bids his disciples beware of the scribes, that is, 1. "Take heed of being drawn into sin by them, of learning their way, and going into their measures; beware of such a spirit as they are governed by. Be not you such in the Christian church as they are in the Jewish church." 2.
4 more voices on this verse
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
For as all the faithful are the children of Abraham, and the Divine promise of being a God to him and his seed is entailed upon them, it implies their continued existence and happiness in a future state as much as Abraham's. And as the body is an essential part of man, it implies both his resurrection and theirs; and so overthrows the entire scheme of the Sadducean doctrine.
Note, Christ was a preacher of his own gospel. He not only purchased the salvation for us, but published it to us, which is a great confirmation of the truth of the gospel, and gives abundant encouragement to us to receive it, for it is a sign that the heart of Christ was much upon it, to have it received.
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
A commentator
J.C. Ryle1816–1900
Expository Thoughts on the Gospels: Luke (lightly modernized text, Grace Gems edition) (1858)
Let us observe in this passage — what striking testimony to Christ's divinity, the book of Psalms contains. We read that after patiently replying to the attacks of His enemies, our Lord in turn propounds a question to them. He asks them to explain an expression in the hundred and tenth Psalm, where David speaks of the Messiah as his Lord. To this question the Scribes could find no answer.
A commentator
J.C. Ryle1816–1900
Expository Thoughts on the Gospels: Luke (lightly modernized text, Grace Gems edition) (1858)
proposed
Let us observe in this passage — what striking testimony to Christ's divinity, the book of Psalms contains. We read that after patiently replying to the attacks of His enemies, our Lord in turn propounds a question to them. He asks them to explain an expression in the hundred and tenth Psalm, where David speaks of the Messiah as his Lord. To this question the Scribes could find no answer. They did not see the mighty truth — that Messiah was to be God as well as man; and that while as man , He was to be David's son — as God , He was to be David's Lord. Their ignorance of Scripture was thus exposed before all the people. Professing themselves to be instructors of others and possessors of the key of knowledge — they were proved unable to explain what their own Scriptures contained. We may well believe that of all the defeats which our Lord's malicious enemies met with — none galled them more than this. Nothing so abashes the pride of man — as to be publicly proved ignorant of that which he imagines is his own particular department of knowledge. We have probably little idea how much deep truth is contained in the book of Psalms. No part of the Bible perhaps is better known in the letter — and none so little understood in the spirit . We err greatly, if we suppose that it is nothing but a record of David's feelings, of David's experience, David's praises, and David's prayers. The hand that held the pen was generally David's — but the subject matter was often something far deeper and higher than the history of the son of Jesse. The book of Psalms, in a word, is a book full of Christ — Christ suffering — Christ in humiliation — Christ dying — Christ rising again — Christ coming the second time — Christ reigning over all. Both of Christ's advents are here: the advent in suffering to bear the cross — and the advent in power to wear the crown.
The words behind it
9 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ἀκούοντος | akouontos | When are listening | G191 → | 425 times |
| δὲ | de | now | G1161 → | 2765 times |
| παντὸς | pantos | all | G3956 → | 1235 times |
| τοῦ | tou | the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| λαοῦ | laou | people | G2992 → | 141 times |
| εἶπεν | eipen | He said | G2036 → | 925 times |
| τοῖς | tois | to the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| μαθηταῖς | mathetais | disciples | G3101 → | 260 times |
| αὐτοῦ· | autou | of Him; | G846 → | 5565 times |
ἈκούοντοςWhen are listening
akouontosG191 →425 times
δὲnow
deG1161 →2765 times
παντὸςall
pantosG3956 →1235 times
τοῦthe
touG3588 →19766 times
λαοῦpeople
laouG2992 →141 times
εἶπενHe said
eipenG2036 →925 times
τοῖςto the
toisG3588 →19766 times
μαθηταῖςdisciples
mathetaisG3101 →260 times
αὐτοῦ·of Him;
autouG846 →5565 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 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
Mark 8:34Then Jesus called the crowd to Him along with His disciples, and He told them, “If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me.
it leads to
- Matthew 10:38
and anyone who does not take up his cross and follow Me is not worthy of Me.
- Luke 14:26–27
“If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters—yes, even his own life—he cannot be My disciple.
- John 10:27
My sheep listen to My voice; I know them, and they follow Me.
- 1 Kings 14:8
I tore the kingdom away from the house of David and gave it to you. But you were not like My servant David, who kept My commandments and followed Me with all his heart,…
- Galatians 5:24
Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
- Matthew 10:38
Through
1 Timothy 5:20But those who persist in sin should be rebuked in front of everyone, so that the others will stand in fear of sin.
it leads to
- 1 Timothy 1:20
Among them are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan to be taught not to blaspheme.
- Deuteronomy 13:11
Then all Israel will hear and be afraid, and will never again do such a wicked thing among you.
- Titus 1:13
This testimony is true. Therefore rebuke them sternly, so that they will be sound in the faith
- 1 Timothy 1:20
Where this verse is studied
About Luke

This page draws on Bonaventure, Commentary on Luke, Chapter 20; Cyril of Alexandria, COMMENTARY ON LUKE, HOMILY 137; Cyril of Alexandria, Catena Aurea by Aquinas; J.C. Ryle, Expository Thoughts on the Gospels: Luke (lightly modernized text, Grace Gems edition); John Chrysostom, Catena Aurea by Aquinas; John Gill, Exposition of the New Testament (1746-1748); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.
