And if the son of peace be there, your peace shall rest upon it: if not, it shall turn to you again.
Parallel translations
- WEB If a son of peace is there, your peace will rest on him; but if not, it will return to you.
- BSB If a man of peace is there, your peace will rest on him; if not, it will return to you.
- NKJV And if a son of peace is there, your peace will rest on it; if not, it will return to you.
- NASB And if a man of peace is there, your peace will rest upon him; but if not, it will return to you.
- NLT If those who live there are peaceful, the blessing will stand; if they are not, the blessing will return to you.
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
If a son of peace is there, the peace rests on him; if not, it returns to the messenger. The blessing settles on the receptive and is not lost on the rejecting.
Overview
A "son of peace" is one open and worthy to receive the message of peace. Where there is genuine receptivity, the proclaimed blessing takes hold; where it is refused, it returns to the bearer unwasted. The verse shows that the gospel's blessing rests on those who welcome it in faith.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 9
- 2 Th 3:16Now the Lord of peace himself give you peace always by all means. The Lord be with you all.
- 2 Cor 2:15–16For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish:
- Isa 9:6For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
- Eph 2:2–3Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:
- Jas 3:18And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.
- Eph 5:6Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience.
- 1 Sam 25:17Now therefore know and consider what thou wilt do; for evil is determined against our master, and against all his household: for he is such a son of Belial, that a man cannot speak to him.
- Ps 35:13But as for me, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth: I humbled my soul with fasting; and my prayer returned into mine own bosom.
- 1 Pet 1:14As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance:
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 10:6 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.