English · KJV

Luke 11

Listen to this chapter
0:00 0:00

The Lord's Prayer 1–4

1
And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples. ​
2
And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth. ​
3
Give us day by day our daily bread.
4
And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil. ​

The Parable of Persistent Prayer 5–13

5
And he said unto them, Which of you shall have a friend, and shall go unto him at midnight, and say unto him, Friend, lend me three loaves; ​
6
For a friend of mine in his journey is come to me, and I have nothing to set before him?
7
And he from within shall answer and say, Trouble me not: the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give thee.
8
I say unto you, Though he will not rise and give him, because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he needeth. ​
9
And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.
10
For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.
11
If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent?
12
Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion?
13
If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him? ​

Jesus Accused of Casting Out Demons by Beelzebub 14–23

14
And he was casting out a devil, and it was dumb. And it came to pass, when the devil was gone out, the dumb spake; and the people wondered. ​
15
But some of them said, He casteth out devils through Beelzebub the chief of the devils. ​
16
And others, tempting him, sought of him a sign from heaven.
17
But he, knowing their thoughts, said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and a house divided against a house falleth. ​
18
If Satan also be divided against himself, how shall his kingdom stand? because ye say that I cast out devils through Beelzebub.
19
And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your sons cast them out? therefore shall they be your judges.
20
But if I with the finger of God cast out devils, no doubt the kingdom of God is come upon you. ​
21
When a strong man armed keepeth his palace, his goods are in peace:
22
But when a stronger than he shall come upon him, and overcome him, he taketh from him all his armour wherein he trusted, and divideth his spoils. ​
23
He that is not with me is against me: and he that gathereth not with me scattereth. ​

The Return of the Unclean Spirit 24–26

24
When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he saith, I will return unto my house whence I came out. ​
25
And when he cometh, he findeth it swept and garnished.
26
Then goeth he, and taketh to him seven other spirits more wicked than himself; and they enter in, and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first.

True Blessedness 27–28

27
And it came to pass, as he spake these things, a certain woman of the company lifted up her voice, and said unto him, Blessed is the womb that bare thee, and the paps which thou hast sucked. ​
28
But he said, Yea rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it.

The Demand for a Sign 29–32

29
And when the people were gathered thick together, he began to say, This is an evil generation: they seek a sign; and there shall no sign be given it, but the sign of Jonas the prophet. ​
30
For as Jonas was a sign unto the Ninevites, so shall also the Son of man be to this generation.
31
The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with the men of this generation, and condemn them: for she came from the utmost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here. ​
32
The men of Nineve shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here.

The Lamp and the Eye 33–36

33
No man, when he hath lighted a candle, putteth it in a secret place, neither under a bushel, but on a candlestick, that they which come in may see the light. ​
34
The light of the body is the eye: therefore when thine eye is single, thy whole body also is full of light; but when thine eye is evil, thy body also is full of darkness. ​
35
Take heed therefore that the light which is in thee be not darkness.
36
If thy whole body therefore be full of light, having no part dark, the whole shall be full of light, as when the bright shining of a candle doth give thee light.

Woes Against the Pharisees and Lawyers 37–54

37
And as he spake, a certain Pharisee besought him to dine with him: and he went in, and sat down to meat. ​
38
And when the Pharisee saw it, he marvelled that he had not first washed before dinner. ​
39
And the Lord said unto him, Now do ye Pharisees make clean the outside of the cup and the platter; but your inward part is full of ravening and wickedness. ​
40
Ye fools, did not he that made that which is without make that which is within also?
41
But rather give alms of such things as ye have; and, behold, all things are clean unto you. ​
42
But woe unto you, Pharisees! for ye tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass over judgment and the love of God: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone. ​
43
Woe unto you, Pharisees! for ye love the uppermost seats in the synagogues, and greetings in the markets.
44
Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are as graves which appear not, and the men that walk over them are not aware of them. ​
45
Then answered one of the lawyers, and said unto him, Master, thus saying thou reproachest us also. ​
46
And he said, Woe unto you also, ye lawyers! for ye lade men with burdens grievous to be borne, and ye yourselves touch not the burdens with one of your fingers. ​
47
Woe unto you! for ye build the sepulchres of the prophets, and your fathers killed them. ​
48
Truly ye bear witness that ye allow the deeds of your fathers: for they indeed killed them, and ye build their sepulchres.
49
Therefore also said the wisdom of God, I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they shall slay and persecute:
50
That the blood of all the prophets, which was shed from the foundation of the world, may be required of this generation;
51
From the blood of Abel unto the blood of Zacharias, which perished between the altar and the temple: verily I say unto you, It shall be required of this generation. ​
52
Woe unto you, lawyers! for ye have taken away the key of knowledge: ye entered not in yourselves, and them that were entering in ye hindered. ​
53
And as he said these things unto them, the scribes and the Pharisees began to urge him vehemently, and to provoke him to speak of many things: ​
54
Laying wait for him, and seeking to catch something out of his mouth, that they might accuse him.

Bible text: King James Version (1769 Blayney text) · Public domain

Study Notes for Luke 11

Verse 1

Lord, teach us to pray — Luke gives the occasion of the prayer: the disciples have watched him praying (cf. Luke 6:12) and ask for a form of their own, 'as John also taught his disciples'. Matthew sets the same prayer in the Sermon on the Mount (Matt 6:9–13). Proseuchomai is prayer addressed to God, supplication and worship.

Verse 2

Our Father which art in heaven — Luke's form is shorter than Matthew's (Matt 6:9–13). 'Hallowed' is hagiazo, to make holy, to treat as holy: the first petition concerns God's 'name', the next two his 'kingdom' and 'will', and only then do needs follow (v.3).

Verse 4

forgive us our sins — The petition names 'sins' (hamartia), then 'every one that is indebted to us' (opheilo, to owe); Matthew's word is 'debts' (Matt 6:12), and he adds the warning of Matt 6:15. 'Temptation' is peirasmos, a putting to the test; 'deliver' (rhyomai) is to rescue.

Verse 5

Friend, lend me three loaves — A parable only Luke records, and the companion of the widow's in Luke 18:1–8, 'that men ought always to pray, and not to faint'. The request is made 'at midnight' (mesonyktion) on behalf of a traveller (v.6); the need is another's hospitality, not the asker's own.

Verse 8

importunity — Anaideia is literally shamelessness (a-, without; aidos, shame): the asker will not be put off. The argument runs from the lesser to the greater: if a reluctant friend rises, how much more the Father (v.13). Jacob's 'I will not let thee go, except thou bless me' (Gen 32:26) is the same persistence.

Verse 13

give the Holy Spirit — Matthew's parallel reads 'good things' (Matt 7:11); Luke names the best of the good things. 'Being evil' (poneros) sets human fathers against 'your heavenly Father'. The promise is fulfilled at Pentecost and offered in Peter's words, 'ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost' (Acts 2:38).

Verse 14

it was dumb — Kophos means blunted, and is used of deafness or speechlessness. Here the man speaks the moment the 'devil' (daimonion) goes out. Matthew describes the same kind of case as 'blind, and dumb' (Matt 12:22), and the accusation of the next verse follows there too (Matt 12:24).

Verse 15

Beelzebub the chief of the devils — Beelzeboul is a name for Satan; 'chief' is archon, ruler. Mark says the scribes from Jerusalem made the charge (Mark 3:22). Christ had already said, 'If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub', the servants can expect no better (Matt 10:25).

Verse 17

Every kingdom divided against itself — He answers the unspoken charge, 'knowing their thoughts' (dianoema). 'Divided' is diamerizo, 'brought to desolation' eremoo, made a wilderness. Matthew adds 'every city' to the 'kingdom' and the 'house' (Matt 12:25); the argument turns on Satan's own kingdom in v.18.

Verse 20

the finger of God — The phrase is the magicians' confession before Pharaoh: 'This is the finger of God' (Ex 8:19). Matthew's parallel says 'by the Spirit of God' (Matt 12:28), so the finger is the Spirit's power. 'Is come upon you' is phthano, to arrive: the kingdom has already reached them.

Verse 22

a stronger than he — 'Strong' and 'stronger' are ischyros in vv.21–22. The 'armour' is panoplia, full armour, the thing 'wherein he trusted'; the 'spoils' (skylon) are shared out. The picture draws on Isa 49:24–25: 'the captives of the mighty shall be taken away, and the prey of the terrible shall be delivered.'

Verse 23

He that is not with me is against me — The line stands in the middle of the conflict with Satan, and its figure is gathering and scattering (synago, skorpizo). It does not contradict Luke 9:50, 'he that is not against us is for us', which concerned a man already casting out devils in Christ's name.

Verse 24

dry places — Anydros, waterless. The spirit seeks 'rest' (anapausis) and finds none, so claims 'my house' (oikos) as his own. Matthew gives the same saying, ending with 'the last state of that man is worse than the first' and applying it to 'this wicked generation' (Matt 12:43–45).

Verse 27

Blessed is the womb that bare thee — The woman's word is makarios, 'blessed', and echoes Elisabeth's 'blessed is the fruit of thy womb' (Luke 1:42) and Mary's own 'all generations shall call me blessed' (Luke 1:48). The reply in v.28, 'Yea rather', does not refuse it but sets obedience above kinship.

Verse 29

the sign of Jonas the prophet — The crowd was 'gathered thick together' (epathroizo) and asked for 'a sign from heaven' (v.16). The one sign promised is Jonah's, explained by Matthew as three days 'in the heart of the earth' (Matt 12:40); Jonah's three days in the fish are in Jonah 1:17. Verse 30 gives Luke's own reading.

Verse 31

The queen of the south — She is the queen of Sheba, who 'came to prove him with hard questions' (1 Kings 10:1). 'Utmost parts of the earth' translates peras, the farthest limit. She and the men of Nineveh (v.32) 'rise up in the judgment' as Gentile witnesses against a generation that had more than Solomon or Jonah (cf. Matt 12:42).

Verse 33

candle… candlestick — Lychnos is a lamp and lychnia a lampstand; 'bushel' is modios, a Latin dry measure. The saying recurs elsewhere with other applications: of the disciples' light (Matt 5:15) and of the hearing of the word (Luke 8:16). Here the light is Christ's own teaching, set openly for 'they which come in'.

Verse 34

thine eye is single — Haplous means simple, folded together, and so undivided and sincere; its opposite is the 'evil' (poneros) eye. Matthew has the same saying in the Sermon on the Mount, joined to the choice between God and mammon (Matt 6:22–23). Verse 35 turns it into a warning.

Verse 37

sat down to meat — 'Dine' is aristao, to take the first meal of the day, and 'sat down' is anapipto, to recline. Luke records Christ at the tables of Pharisees on other occasions too (Luke 7:36; 14:1). At each he speaks plainly to his host's party, here beginning in v.39.

Verse 38

washed before dinner — The verb is baptizo, used here of ceremonial washing. The Pharisee 'marvelled' (thaumazo) because the custom was 'the tradition of the elders' (Mark 7:2–5; Matt 15:2), not a command of Moses. Christ answers with the inside of the cup rather than the washing of hands.

Verse 39

ravening and wickedness — Harpage is plunder or extortion; 'wickedness' is poneria. The 'inward part' (esothen) is set against the 'outside' (exothen) of the cup and platter. Matthew gives the same charge with the remedy: 'cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter' (Matt 23:25–26).

Verse 41

give alms — Eleemosyne is an act of mercy (eleos) toward the poor. 'Of such things as ye have' is eneimi, the things within: what is in the cup. The cure for the inward greed of v.39 is to give it away; compare 'Sell that ye have, and give alms' (Luke 12:33).

Verse 42

tithe mint and rue — Apodekatoo, to pay a tenth. Matthew names 'mint and anise and cummin' (Matt 23:23). The failure lies in what is passed over: 'judgment' (krisis) and 'the love of God' (agape). Christ does not cancel the tithing: 'these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.'

Verse 44

graves which appear not — Adelos, unseen. Touching 'a grave' made a man 'unclean seven days' (Num 19:16), so a hidden grave defiled the unaware. Matthew's version has the opposite picture, 'whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward' (Matt 23:27); either way the outside hides what is within.

Verse 45

lawyers — Nomikos is an expert in the law of Moses, here distinguished from the Pharisees; another 'lawyer' appears in Matt 22:35. He addresses Christ as 'Master' (didaskalos), and 'reproachest' is hybrizo, to treat with insolence. His complaint draws the second set of woes, in vv.46–52.

Verse 46

burdens grievous to be borne — Phortizo is to load, as a vessel or beast; dysbastaktos, hard to carry. Matthew has the same charge, 'they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers' (Matt 23:4). 'Finger' is daktylos, the word of 'the finger of God' in v.20.

Verse 47

ye build the sepulchres of the prophets — The building looks like honour, but Christ reads it as agreement with the killers. Stephen later says the same: 'Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted?' (Acts 7:52). Matthew adds that they 'garnish the sepulchres of the righteous' (Matt 23:29); v.48 states the conclusion.

Verse 51

Abel unto the blood of Zacharias — Abel was killed by Cain (Gen 4:8). Zechariah was stoned when 'the Spirit of God came upon' him, and he asked that the LORD 'look upon it' (2 Chr 24:20–22). 'Required' is ekzeteo, to seek out; 'between the altar and the temple' places the killing in the sanctuary court.

Verse 52

the key of knowledge — Kleis is a key, gnosis knowledge. The priest's task had been that 'the priest's lips should keep knowledge' (Mal 2:7). The lawyers kept others from the understanding of the law that leads to Christ, as Matthew says: 'ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men' (Matt 23:13).

Verse 53

urge him vehemently — Enecho is to hold fast, to ensnare; deinos, fiercely. 'Provoke him to speak' is apostomatizo, to dictate from the mouth, to quiz him so as to trap him; v.54 states the aim, 'that they might accuse him'. Luke 20:20 reports a similar attempt, with spies sent to 'take hold of his words'.