For Jesus himself testified that a prophet has no honor in his own country.
Parallel translations
- KJV For Jesus himself testified, that a prophet hath no honour in his own country.
- BSB Now He Himself had testified that a prophet has no honor in his own hometown.
- ESV (For Jesus himself had testified that a prophet has no honor in his own hometown.)
- NKJV For Jesus Himself testified that a prophet has no honor in his own country.
- NASB For Jesus Himself testified that a prophet has no honor in his own country.
- NLT He himself had said that a prophet is not honored in his own hometown.
Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Jesus had testified that a prophet has no honor in his own country. This proverb frames the mixed reception awaiting him.
Overview
The saying about a prophet's lack of honor at home explains why Jesus' reception in his own region would be shallow or fickle. Interpreters debate whether 'his own country' refers to Judea or Galilee, but the point is the same: familiarity often breeds unbelief. It anticipates the broader pattern of his own people not receiving him, fulfilled supremely at the cross.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 3
- Matt 13:57They were offended by him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor, except in his own country, and in his own house.”
- Luke 4:24He said, “Most certainly I tell you, no prophet is acceptable in his hometown.
- Mark 6:4Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor, except in his own country, and among his own relatives, and in his own house.”
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
John declares him plainly: the eternal Word made flesh, the Lamb of God, the great 'I AM' — bread, light, door, shepherd, way, truth, life, resurrection — that you may believe and have life in his name.
How John 4:44 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.