just as they were handed down to us by the initial eyewitnesses and servants of the word.
Parallel translations
- WEB even as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and servants of the word delivered them to us,
- KJV Even as they delivered them unto us, which from the beginning were eyewitnesses, and ministers of the word;
- ESV just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word have delivered them to us,
- NKJV just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word delivered them to us,
- NASB just as they were handed down to us by those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and servants of the word,
- NLT They used the eyewitness reports circulating among us from the early disciples.
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
The accounts rested on eyewitnesses and ministers of the word who passed down what they saw and heard. The gospel is grounded in firsthand testimony.
Overview
Luke distinguishes himself from the original eyewitnesses, relying on those who from the beginning saw Jesus and served the message about him. This stresses reliable transmission of the apostolic witness. The 'word' here points to the saving message centered on Christ, faithfully handed down to the church.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 19
- John 15:27And you also must testify, because you have been with Me from the beginning.
- Acts 26:16‘But get up and stand on your feet. For I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen from Me and what I will show you.
- Heb 2:3how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? This salvation was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard Him,
- 2 Pet 1:16For we did not follow cleverly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty.
- 1 Jn 1:1–3That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our own eyes, which we have gazed upon and touched with our own hands—this is the Word of life.
- Acts 1:21–22Therefore it is necessary to choose one of the men who have accompanied us the whole time the Lord Jesus went in and out among us,
- Acts 1:3After His suffering, He presented Himself to them with many convincing proofs that He was alive. He appeared to them over a span of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God.
- Acts 10:39–41We are witnesses of all that He did, both in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem. And although they put Him to death by hanging Him on a tree,
- Mark 1:1This is the beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
- Col 1:23–25if indeed you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope of the gospel you heard, which has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.
- 1 Pet 5:1As a fellow elder, a witness of Christ’s sufferings, and a partaker of the glory to be revealed, I appeal to the elders among you:
- Luke 24:48You are witnesses of these things.
- 1 Cor 4:1So then, men ought to regard us as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.
- Acts 1:8But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
- Acts 4:20For we cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard.”
- Eph 4:11–12And it was He who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers,
- Mark 4:14The farmer sows the word.
- Eph 3:7–8I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace, given me through the working of His power.
- Rom 15:16to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles in the priestly service of the gospel of God, so that the Gentiles might become an offering acceptable to God, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Luke shows Jesus the Savior for all — outsiders, the poor, the nations — the one who, on the Emmaus road, opened all the Scriptures to show they were about himself.
How Luke 1:2 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.