And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?
Parallel translations
- WEB Behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tested him, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”
- BSB One day an expert in the law stood up to test Him. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
- NKJV And behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tested Him, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”
- NASB And behold, a lawyer stood up and put Him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”
- NLT One day an expert in religious law stood up to test Jesus by asking him this question: “Teacher, what should I do to inherit eternal life?”
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
A lawyer tests Jesus by asking what he must do to inherit eternal life. The question frames the dialogue that leads into the parable of the Good Samaritan.
Overview
An expert in the Mosaic law approaches not to learn but to test Jesus. His question about inheriting eternal life sets up Jesus' method of turning the inquirer back to Scripture. The exchange exposes the difference between self-justifying religion and genuine love for God and neighbor.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 7
- Matt 22:34–39But when the Pharisees had heard that he had put the Sadducees to silence, they were gathered together.
- Luke 18:18And a certain ruler asked him, saying, Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?
- Acts 16:30–31And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?
- Matt 19:16–19And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?
- Gal 3:18For if the inheritance be of the law, it is no more of promise: but God gave it to Abraham by promise.
- Luke 11:45–46Then answered one of the lawyers, and said unto him, Master, thus saying thou reproachest us also.
- Luke 7:30But the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the counsel of God against themselves, being not baptized of him.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
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 10:25 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.