From now on, five in one household will be divided, three against two and two against three.
Parallel translations
- WEB For from now on, there will be five in one house divided, three against two, and two against three.
- KJV For from henceforth there shall be five in one house divided, three against two, and two against three.
- NKJV For from now on five in one house will be divided: three against two, and two against three.
- NASB for from now on five members in one household will be divided, three against two and two against three.
- NLT From now on families will be split apart, three in favor of me, and two against—or two in favor and three against.
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
From now on a household of five will be divided, three against two and two against three. Devotion to Christ can split even close family ties.
Overview
Jesus describes how response to Him fractures even the closest human bonds. The division is not arbitrary but flows from the radical claim He makes on every life. This honest warning prepares disciples for the painful reality that following Christ may cost them the unity of their own homes.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 10
- Acts 14:1–4At Iconium, Paul and Barnabas went as usual into the Jewish synagogue, where they spoke so well that a great number of Jews and Greeks believed.
- John 15:18–21If the world hates you, understand that it hated Me first.
- Mic 7:5–6Do not rely on a friend; do not trust in a companion. Seal the doors of your mouth from her who lies in your arms.
- John 16:2They will put you out of the synagogues. In fact, a time is coming when anyone who kills you will think he is offering a service to God.
- John 10:19–21Again there was division among the Jews because of Jesus’ message.
- Acts 28:24Some of them were convinced by what he said, but others refused to believe.
- John 9:16Because of this, some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for He does not keep the Sabbath.” But others said, “How can a sinful man perform such signs?” And there was division among them.
- Acts 13:43–46After the synagogue was dismissed, many of the Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who spoke to them and urged them to continue in the grace of God.
- Ps 41:9Even my close friend whom I trusted, the one who shared my bread, has lifted up his heel against me.
- John 7:41–43Others declared, “This is the Christ.” But still others asked, “How can the Christ come from Galilee?
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Commentaries & study tools
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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 12:52 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.