Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.
Parallel translations
- WEB neither will they say, ‘Look, here!’ or, ‘Look, there!’ for behold, God’s Kingdom is within you.”
- BSB Nor will people say, ‘Look, here it is,’ or ‘There it is.’ For you see, the kingdom of God is in your midst.”
- NKJV nor will they say, ‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’ For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you.”
- NASB nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or, ‘There it is!’ For behold, the kingdom of God is in your midst.”
- NLT You won’t be able to say, ‘Here it is!’ or ‘It’s over there!’ For the Kingdom of God is already among you.”
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 says God's Kingdom is already present 'within' or 'among' them, not located in a place to point at. The King himself stands among them.
Overview
The phrase may mean "within you" (inwardly, in the heart) or "among you" (in your midst), the latter widely favored since Jesus addressed hostile Pharisees. Either way, the Kingdom is not a future spot to be discovered but a present reality breaking in through Jesus. The King's presence means the Kingdom has drawn near, though its full consummation is still to come.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 9
- Matt 12:28But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you.
- Rom 14:17For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.
- Mark 13:21And then if any man shall say to you, Lo, here is Christ; or, lo, he is there; believe him not:
- Col 1:27To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:
- Luke 10:9–11And heal the sick that are therein, and say unto them, The kingdom of God is come nigh unto you.
- Matt 24:23–28Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not.
- Luke 17:23And they shall say to you, See here; or, see there: go not after them, nor follow them.
- Luke 21:8And he said, Take heed that ye be not deceived: for many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and the time draweth near: go ye not therefore after them.
- John 1:26John answered them, saying, I baptize with water: but there standeth one among you, whom ye know not;
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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 17:21 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.