But when he heard a crowd going by, he began inquiring what this was.
Parallel translations
- WEB Hearing a multitude going by, he asked what this meant.
- KJV And hearing the multitude pass by, he asked what it meant.
- BSB When he heard the crowd going by, he asked what was happening.
- NKJV And hearing a multitude passing by, he asked what it meant.
- NLT When he heard the noise of a crowd going past, he asked what was happening.
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
Hearing the crowd pass, the blind man asks what is happening. His need makes him attentive to opportunity.
Overview
Unable to see, the beggar relies on hearing and inquiry to learn what the commotion means. His eagerness to find out shows a heart alert to possible help. This small detail sets up his decisive cry of faith once he learns Jesus is near.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 2
- Luke 15:26He called one of the servants to him, and asked what was going on.
- Matt 21:10–11When he had come into Jerusalem, all the city was stirred up, saying, “Who is this?”
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Commentaries & study tools
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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 18:36 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.