The Lord then answered him, and said, Thou hypocrite, doth not each one of you on the sabbath loose his ox or his ass from the stall, and lead him away to watering?
Parallel translations
- WEB Therefore the Lord answered him, “You hypocrites! Doesn’t each one of you free his ox or his donkey from the stall on the Sabbath, and lead him away to water?
- BSB “You hypocrites!” the Lord replied. “Does not each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or donkey from the stall and lead it to water?
- NKJV The Lord then answered him and said, “Hypocrite! Does not each one of you on the Sabbath loose his ox or donkey from the stall, and lead it away to water it?
- NASB But the Lord answered him and said, “You hypocrites, does each of you on the Sabbath not untie his ox or donkey from the stall and lead it away to water it?
- NLT But the Lord replied, “You hypocrites! Each of you works on the Sabbath day! Don’t you untie your ox or your donkey from its stall on the Sabbath and lead it out for water?
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
Jesus calls them hypocrites, noting they untie their animals to water them on the Sabbath. Their own practice exposes their inconsistency.
Overview
By appealing to a recognized exception for animal care, Jesus shows that mercy was never forbidden on the Sabbath. The charge of hypocrisy lies in valuing an ox's thirst above a woman's suffering. He defends the Sabbath as God intended it, a day fitting for acts of compassion and release.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 14
- Luke 14:5And answered them, saying, Which of you shall have an ass or an ox fallen into a pit, and will not straightway pull him out on the sabbath day?
- John 7:21–24Jesus answered and said unto them, I have done one work, and ye all marvel.
- Luke 6:42Either how canst thou say to thy brother, Brother, let me pull out the mote that is in thine eye, when thou thyself beholdest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, cast out first the beam out of thine own eye, and then shalt thou see clearly to pull out the mote that is in thy brother’s eye.
- Acts 13:9–10Then Saul, (who also is called Paul,) filled with the Holy Ghost, set his eyes on him,
- Job 34:30That the hypocrite reign not, lest the people be ensnared.
- Matt 15:7Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying,
- Matt 15:14Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.
- Matt 7:5Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.
- Luke 12:1In the mean time, when there were gathered together an innumerable multitude of people, insomuch that they trode one upon another, he began to say unto his disciples first of all, Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.
- Matt 23:13But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in.
- Matt 23:28Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.
- Acts 8:20–23But Peter said unto him, Thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money.
- Isa 29:20For the terrible one is brought to nought, and the scorner is consumed, and all that watch for iniquity are cut off:
- Prov 11:9An hypocrite with his mouth destroyeth his neighbour: but through knowledge shall the just be delivered.
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 13:15 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.