Then drew near unto him all the publicans and sinners for to hear him.
Parallel translations
- WEB Now all the tax collectors and sinners were coming close to him to hear him.
- BSB Now all the tax collectors and sinners were gathering around to listen to Jesus.
- NKJV Then all the tax collectors and the sinners drew near to Him to hear Him.
- NASB Now all the tax collectors and sinners were coming near Jesus to listen to Him.
- NLT Tax collectors and other notorious sinners often came to listen to Jesus teach.
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
Tax collectors and sinners draw near to hear Jesus. The outcasts are eager for His teaching and welcome.
Overview
Tax collectors and 'sinners' were despised and excluded by the religious establishment. Their eagerness to come close to Jesus shows the appeal of His gracious welcome. This sets the stage for the three parables of God's seeking love for the lost.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 8
- 1 Tim 1:15This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.
- Matt 9:10–13And it came to pass, as Jesus sat at meat in the house, behold, many publicans and sinners came and sat down with him and his disciples.
- Luke 5:29–32And Levi made him a great feast in his own house: and there was a great company of publicans and of others that sat down with them.
- Matt 21:28–31But what think ye? A certain man had two sons; and he came to the first, and said, Son, go work to day in my vineyard.
- Ezek 18:27Again, when the wicked man turneth away from his wickedness that he hath committed, and doeth that which is lawful and right, he shall save his soul alive.
- Rom 5:20Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound:
- Luke 7:29And all the people that heard him, and the publicans, justified God, being baptized with the baptism of John.
- Luke 13:30And, behold, there are last which shall be first, and there are first which shall be last.
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 15:1 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.