Luke 23:9
in Luke 23Herod questioned Jesus at great length, but He gave no answer.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And he questioned him in many words; but he answered him nothing.
KJV
Then he questioned with him in many words; but he answered him nothing.
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This verse in Luke 23
Commentary
12 notes on this verseHaving been bound, Christ went from Caiaphas to Pilate; is this also written? Yes: "And having bound him, they led him away as a present to the King of Jarim." But some keen listener will object: "Pilate was not a king." (Let us pass over for the time the main points of the inquiry.) "How then, having bound him, did they lead him as a present to the king?" But read the Gospel: "Pilate, hearing that he was from Galilee, sent him to Herod; for Herod was then king and was present in Jerusalem."
This site's exposition
he answered him nothing
on Luke 23:9-10
Herod questions him in many words, but Jesus answered him nothing, the Lord's total silence before this one judge alone in the whole passion narrative. The bench reads the silence as fulfillment of Isaiah 53:7, as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, and as a judgment on Herod specifically, a man who had already rejected the greater light of John's preaching and now stands before the Light himself asking for magic tricks. Meanwhile the chief priests and scribes stand by and vehemently accuse him, filling the silence Jesus refuses to fill.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers3 voices
He was silent and did nothing, for Herod's unbelief deserved not to see Him, and the Lord shunned display. And perhaps typically in Herod are represented all the ungodly, who if they have not believed the Law and the Prophets, cannot see Christ's wonderful works in the Gospel.
But Herod, desiring to see some miracles done by him, kept silent and did nothing; for neither did his cruelty deserve to see divine things, nor did the Lord desire to indulge in boasting. And perhaps in Herod all the wicked are symbolized: who, if they do not believe in the Law and the prophets, are unable to see the miracles of Christ's works even in the Gospel.
Further, the expression, 'My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue has cleaved to my throat,' was a prediction, as I previously remarked, of that silence, when He who convicted all your teachers of being unwise returned no answer at all.
The Medieval Church2 voices
And because curiosity is most vigorous concerning sight and hearing, according to that text of Ecclesiastes one: "The eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor is the ear filled with hearing"; therefore he adds: And he questioned him with many words: he questioned, I say, …
(Mor. 22. c. 16.) From these words we ought to derive a lesson, that whenever our hearers wish as if by praising us to gain knowledge from us, but not to change their own wicked course, we must be altogether silent, lest if from love of ostentation we speak God's word, both they who were guilty cease not to be so, and we who were not become so. And there are many things which betray the motive of a hearer, but one in particular, when they always praise what they hear, yet never follow what they praise. (Mor. 10. c. 31.) The Redeemer therefore though questioned held His peace, though expected disdained to work miracles. And keeping Himself secretly within Himself, left those who were satisfied to seek for outward things, to remain thankless without, preferring to be openly set at nought by the proud, than be praised by the hollow voices of unbelievers. Hence it follows, And the chief priests and scribes stood and vehemently accused him. And Herod with his men of war set him at nought, and mocked him, and arrayed him in a white robe.
5 more voices on this verse
The Medieval Church2 voices
Herod questioned Him at length, treating Him with a certain ironic tone and mocking Him in everything; therefore Jesus answered him nothing. For He who created all things by His word, and of whom David testified that "he will establish his words in judgment" (Ps. …
Accordingly he asks Him questions, making a sport of Him, and ridiculing Him. But Jesus, who performed all things prudently, and who, as David testifies, ordereth His words with discretion, (Ps. 112:5.) thought it right in such a case to be silent. For a word uttered to one whom it profiteth nothing becomes the cause of his condemnation. Therefore it follows, But he answered him nothing.
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
Then he questioned with him in many words,....
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
A commentator
J.C. Ryle1816–1900
Expository Thoughts on the Gospels: Luke (lightly modernized text, Grace Gems edition) (1858)
proposed
Let us observe, for one thing, in this passage — what false accusations were laid to our Lord Jesus Christ's charge. We are told that the Jews accused Him of "subverting the nation, forbidding to give taxes to Caesar, and stirring up the people." In all this indictment, we know, there was not a word of truth. It was nothing but a devious attempt to enlist the Roman governor against our Lord. Lying and slander are two favorite weapons of the devil. He was a liar from the beginning, and is still the father of lies. (John 8:44.)
A commentator
J.C. Ryle1816–1900
Expository Thoughts on the Gospels: Luke (lightly modernized text, Grace Gems edition) (1858)
proposed
Let us observe, for one thing, in this passage — what false accusations were laid to our Lord Jesus Christ's charge. We are told that the Jews accused Him of "subverting the nation, forbidding to give taxes to Caesar, and stirring up the people." In all this indictment, we know, there was not a word of truth. It was nothing but a devious attempt to enlist the Roman governor against our Lord. Lying and slander are two favorite weapons of the devil. He was a liar from the beginning, and is still the father of lies. (John 8:44.) When he finds that he cannot stop God's work — his next device is to blacken the character of God's servants, and to destroy the value of their testimony. With this weapon, he assaulted David , "False witnesses," he says, "testify against me. They accuse me of crimes I know nothing about." With this weapon, he assaulted the prophets. Elijah was accused of being a "troubler of Israel!" Jeremiah was accused of undermining the nation, and being a traitor! With this weapon Satan assaulted the apostles . They were "pestilent fellows," and men who "turned the world upside down." With this weapon he assaulted our Lord all through His ministry. He stirred up his agents to call Him a glutton and a drunkard, a Samaritan and a devil! (Luke 7:34; John 8:48.) And here, in the verses before us, we find Satan plying his old weapon to the very last. Jesus is arraigned before Pilate upon charges which are utterly untrue. The servant of Christ must never be surprised if he has to drink of the same cup with his Lord. When He who was holy, harmless, and undefiled, was foully slandered — then who can expect to escape? "If they called the master of the house Beelzebub — then how much more will they call those of his household?" (Matthew 10:25.) Nothing is too evil to slander a saint with.
The words behind it
11 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ἐπηρώτα | eperota | He was questioning | G1905 → | 56 times |
| δὲ | de | then | G1161 → | 2765 times |
| αὐτὸν | auton | Him | G846 → | 5565 times |
| ἐν | en | in | G1722 → | 2738 times |
| λόγοις | logois | words | G3056 → | 329 times |
| ἱκανοῖς· | hikanois | many; | G2425 → | 39 times |
| αὐτὸς | autos | He himself | G846 → | 5565 times |
| δὲ | de | however | G1161 → | 2765 times |
| οὐδὲν | ouden | no [thing] | G3762 → | 232 times |
| ἀπεκρίνατο | apekrinato | answered | G611 → | 231 times |
| αὐτῷ. | auto | him. | G846 → | 5565 times |
ἐπηρώταHe was questioning
eperotaG1905 →56 times
δὲthen
deG1161 →2765 times
αὐτὸνHim
autonG846 →5565 times
ἐνin
enG1722 →2738 times
λόγοιςwords
logoisG3056 →329 times
ἱκανοῖς·many;
hikanoisG2425 →39 times
αὐτὸςHe himself
autosG846 →5565 times
δὲhowever
deG1161 →2765 times
οὐδὲνno [thing]
oudenG3762 →232 times
ἀπεκρίνατοanswered
apekrinatoG611 →231 times
αὐτῷ.him.
autoG846 →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
Isaiah 53:7He was oppressed and afflicted, yet He did not open His mouth. He was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so He did not…
it leads to
- Acts 8:32–33
The eunuch was reading this passage of Scripture: “He was led like a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb before the shearer is silent, so He did not open His mouth.
- Matthew 26:63
But Jesus remained silent. Then the high priest said to Him, “I charge You under oath by the living God: Tell us if You are the Christ, the Son of God.”
- 1 Peter 2:23
When they heaped abuse on Him, He did not retaliate; when He suffered, He made no threats, but entrusted Himself to Him who judges justly.
- Mark 14:61
But Jesus remained silent and made no reply. Again the high priest questioned Him, “Are You the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?”
- John 19:9
and he went back into the Praetorium. “Where are You from?” he asked. But Jesus gave no answer.
- Acts 8:32–33
Through
Luke 13:32But Jesus replied, “Go tell that fox, ‘Look, I will keep driving out demons and healing people today and tomorrow, and on the third day I will reach My goal.’
it leads to
- Hebrews 2:10
In bringing many sons to glory, it was fitting for God, for whom and through whom all things exist, to make the author of their salvation perfect through suffering.
- Hebrews 5:9
And having been made perfect, He became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey Him
- Hebrews 2:10
Through
Psalms 39:9I have become mute; I do not open my mouth because of what You have done.
it leads to
- Job 2:10
“You speak as a foolish woman speaks,” he told her. “Should we accept from God only good and not adversity?” In all this, Job did not sin in what he said.
- Job 2:10
Where this verse is studied
About Luke
This page draws on 12 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Gospels; Ambrose of Milan, Catena Aurea by Aquinas; Ambrose of Milan, EXPOSITION OF THE GOSPEL OF LUKE 10.99; Bonaventure, Commentary on Luke, Chapter 23; Cyril of Jerusalem, Catechetical Lecture 13:14; Gregory the Dialogist, Catena Aurea by Aquinas; J. C. Ryle, Expository Thoughts on the Gospels, Luke; J.C. Ryle, Expository Thoughts on the Gospels: Luke (lightly modernized text, Grace Gems edition); John Gill, Exposition of the New Testament (1746-1748); Justin Martyr, Dialogue with Trypho, Chapter CIII; Theophylact of Ohrid, Commentary on Luke and Theophylact of Ohrid, Catena Aurea by Aquinas.