for from now on five members 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.
- BSB From now on, five in one household will be 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.
- 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 14:1–4In Iconium, they entered together into the synagogue of the Jews, and so spoke that a great multitude both of Jews and of Greeks believed.
- John 15:18–21If the world hates you, you know that it has hated me before it hated you.
- Mic 7:5–6Don’t trust in a neighbor. Don’t put confidence in a friend. With the woman lying in your embrace, be careful of the words of your mouth!
- John 16:2They will put you out of the synagogues. Yes, the time comes that whoever kills you will think that he offers service to God.
- John 10:19–21Therefore a division arose again among the Jews because of these words.
- Acts 28:24Some believed the things which were spoken, and some disbelieved.
- John 9:16Some therefore of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, because he doesn’t keep the Sabbath.” Others said, “How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?” There was division among them.
- Acts 13:43–46Now when the synagogue broke up, many of the Jews and of the devout proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas; who, speaking to them, urged them to continue in the grace of God.
- Ps 41:9Yes, my own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, who ate bread with me, has lifted up his heel against me.
- John 7:41–43Others said, “This is the Christ.” But some said, “What, does the Christ come out of Galilee?
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 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.