Luke 6:39 BSB — MannaFest

Luke 6:39

Jesus also told them a parable: “Can a blind man lead a blind man? Will they not both fall into a pit?

BSB

Parallel translations (2) ▾

ASV

And he spake also a parable unto them, Can the blind guide the blind? shall they not both fall into a pit?

KJV

And he spake a parable unto them, Can the blind lead the blind? shall they not both fall into the ditch?

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Commentary

1 voice

Cyril of Alexandria

Catena Aurea by Aquinas (444)

The Lord added to what had gone before a very necessary parable, as it is said, And he spake a parable to them, for His disciples were the future teachers of the world, and it therefore became them to know the way of a virtuous life, having their minds illuminated as it were by a divine brightness, that they should not be blind leaders of the blind. And then he adds, Can the blind lead the blind?

The record, by era

The Nineteenth Century2 voices

Adam Clarke

1762–1832

Commentary on the Bible (1832)

Can the blind lead the blind? - This appears to have been a general proverb, and to signify that a man cannot teach what he does not understand. This is strictly true in spiritual matters. A man who is not illuminated from above is utterly incapable of judging concerning spiritual things, and wholly unfit to be a guide to others. Is it possible that a person who is enveloped with the thickest darkness should dare either to judge of the state of others, or attempt to lead them in that path of which he is totally ignorant!

J.C. Ryle

1816–1900

Expository Thoughts on the Gospels: Luke (lightly modernized text, Grace Gems edition) (1858)

We learn, in the first place, from these verses — the great danger of listening to false religious teachers. Our Lord compares such teachers and their hearers to the blind leading the blind, and asks the reasonable question, "Shall they not both fall into the ditch?" He goes on to confirm the importance of His warning by declaring, that "the disciple is not above his master," and the student cannot be expected to know more than his teacher. If a man will hear unsound instruction — then we cannot expect him to become otherwise than unsound in the faith himself.

Voices on this verse

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Original language & word study

15 tagged words

Original	Transliteration	Meaning	Word study
εἶπεν	eipen	He spoke	G2036 →
δὲ	de	then	G1161 →
καὶ	kai	also	G2532 →
παραβολὴν	parabolēn	a parable	G3850 →
αὐτοῖς·	autois	to them;	G846 →
μήτι	mēti	surely not ever	G3385 →
δύναται	dunatai	is able	G1410 →
τυφλὸς	tuphlos	a blind [man]	G5185 →
τυφλὸν	tuphlon	a blind [man]	G5185 →
ὁδηγεῖν;	hodēgein	to lead?	G3594 →
οὐχὶ	ouchi	Surely	G3780 →
ἀμφότεροι	amphoteroi	both	G297 →
εἰς	eis	into	G1519 →
βόθυνον	bothunon	a pit	G999 →
ἐμπεσοῦνται;¶	empesountai	will fall in?	G1706 →

Rare words are the text's own signal of a deliberate thread: the fewer the occurrences, the more the places it appears belong together.

The walk

The walk8

Where the connections lead

Follow this verse’s cross-references two steps out. Each card is a verse this one points to, and beneath it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several different paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it. Every stop shows its own words, and every stop is a page.

Through
2 Timothy 3:13
while evil men and imposters go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.
leads to
- 1 Timothy 4:1
  Now the Spirit expressly states that in later times some will abandon the faith to follow deceitful spirits and the teachings of demons,
- Titus 3:3
  For at one time we too were foolish, disobedient, misled, and enslaved to all sorts of desires and pleasures—living in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another.
- 2 Timothy 3:8
  Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so also these men oppose the truth. They are depraved in mind and disqualified from the faith.
- 2 Peter 2:20
  If indeed they have escaped the corruption of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, only to be entangled and overcome by it again, their final condition is worse…
Through
Matthew 15:14
Disregard them! They are blind guides. If a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a pit.”
leads to
- Isaiah 56:10
  Israel’s watchmen are blind, they are all oblivious; they are all mute dogs, they cannot bark; they are dreamers lying around, loving to slumber.
- Matthew 23:16–24
  Woe to you, blind guides! You say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it means nothing; but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath.’
Through
Isaiah 9:16
For those who guide this people mislead them, and those they mislead are swallowed up.
leads to
- Matthew 15:14
  Disregard them! They are blind guides. If a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a pit.”
- Isaiah 3:12
  Youths oppress My people, and women rule over them. O My people, your guides mislead you; they turn you from your paths.

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About Luke

The Return of the Prodigal Son — Gustave Doré (engraving, public domain)

Luke: the study guide →Read chapter 6 →The featured study →

Continue: Luke 6 →

01Commentary

The record, by era

Voices on this verse

02Original language & word study

03The walk

Where the connections lead

04Related verses

05Featured studies on this passage

06About Luke

The record, by era

Where the connections lead

Commentary

Original language & word study

The walk

Related verses

Featured studies on this passage

About Luke