And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.
Parallel translations
- WEB “He said to him, ‘If they don’t listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded if one rises from the dead.’”
- BSB Then Abraham said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead.’”
- NKJV But he said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead.’ ”
- NASB But he said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead.’ ”
- NLT “But Abraham said, ‘If they won’t listen to Moses and the prophets, they won’t be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead.’”
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
Abraham concludes that those who reject Scripture will not be persuaded even by someone rising from the dead.
Overview
Unbelief is a matter of the heart, not lack of evidence. Those deaf to Moses and the Prophets would dismiss even a resurrection. This pointedly foreshadows Jesus' own resurrection, which many still refused to believe, and affirms the saving sufficiency of Scripture's witness to Christ.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 8
- 2 Cor 4:3But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:
- John 11:43–53And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth.
- Acts 19:8And he went into the synagogue, and spake boldly for the space of three months, disputing and persuading the things concerning the kingdom of God.
- Acts 26:28Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian.
- Acts 28:23And when they had appointed him a day, there came many to him into his lodging; to whom he expounded and testified the kingdom of God, persuading them concerning Jesus, both out of the law of Moses, and out of the prophets, from morning till evening.
- John 12:10–11But the chief priests consulted that they might put Lazarus also to death;
- 2 Cor 5:11Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are made manifest unto God; and I trust also are made manifest in your consciences.
- Gen 9:27God shall enlarge Japheth, and he shall dwell in the tents of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant.
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 16:31 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
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