“Lord,” someone asked Him, “will only a few people be saved?” Jesus answered,
Parallel translations
- WEB One said to him, “Lord, are they few who are saved?” He said to them,
- KJV Then said one unto him, Lord, are there few that be saved? And he said unto them,
- NKJV Then one said to Him, “Lord, are there few who are saved?” And He said to them,
- NASB And someone said to Him, “Lord, are there just a few who are being saved?” And He said to them,
- NLT Someone asked him, “Lord, will only a few be saved?” He replied,
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
Someone asks whether only a few will be saved. Jesus redirects a speculative question toward personal responsibility.
Overview
The question reflects curiosity about the number of the saved, possibly assuming most Jews were secure. Rather than satisfy speculation, Jesus turns the inquirer to his own urgent need to enter. His answer shifts the focus from 'how many?' to 'are you striving to enter?'
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 10
- Matt 7:14But small is the gate and narrow the way that leads to life, and only a few find it.
- Matt 22:14For many are called, but few are chosen.”
- Matt 20:16So the last will be first, and the first will be last.”
- Luke 12:13–15Someone in the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.”
- John 21:21–22When Peter saw him, he asked, “Lord, what about him?”
- Matt 24:3–5While Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will these things happen, and what will be the sign of Your coming and of the end of the age?”
- Luke 21:7–8“Teacher,” they asked, “when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are about to take place?”
- Acts 1:7–8Jesus replied, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by His own authority.
- Matt 19:25When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, “Who then can be saved?”
- Mark 13:4–5“Tell us, when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are about to be fulfilled?”
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 13:23 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.