Those who led the way admonished him to be silent, but he cried out all the louder, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”
Parallel translations
- WEB Those who led the way rebuked him, that he should be quiet; but he cried out all the more, “You son of David, have mercy on me!”
- KJV And they which went before rebuked him, that he should hold his peace: but he cried so much the more, Thou son of David, have mercy on me.
- NKJV Then those who went before warned him that he should be quiet; but he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”
- NASB Those who led the way were sternly telling him to be quiet; but he kept crying out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”
- NLT “Be quiet!” the people in front yelled at him. But he only shouted louder, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”
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
The crowd tries to silence him, but he cries out all the more. Persistent faith refuses to be deterred.
Overview
Those leading the way rebuke the beggar, but obstacles only intensify his appeal. His refusal to be silenced models the persevering prayer Jesus taught earlier in the chapter. Genuine faith presses through opposition to reach Christ.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 13
- Gen 32:26–28Then the man said, “Let me go, for it is daybreak.” But Jacob replied, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.”
- Ps 141:1A Psalm of David. I call upon You, O LORD; come quickly to me. Hear my voice when I call to You.
- Luke 18:15Now people were even bringing their babies to Jesus for Him to place His hands on them. And when the disciples saw this, they rebuked those who brought them.
- Luke 11:8–10I tell you, even though he will not get up to provide for him because of his friendship, yet because of the man’s persistence, he will get up and give him as much as he needs.
- Matt 26:40–44Then Jesus returned to the disciples and found them sleeping. “Were you not able to keep watch with Me for one hour?” He asked Peter.
- Jer 29:12–13Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.
- Matt 7:7Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you.
- Luke 18:1Then Jesus told them a parable about their need to pray at all times and not lose heart:
- Luke 8:49While He was still speaking, someone arrived from the house of the synagogue leader. “Your daughter is dead,” he told Jairus. “Do not bother the Teacher anymore.”
- Luke 11:52Woe to you experts in the law! For you have taken away the key to knowledge. You yourselves have not entered, and you have hindered those who were entering.”
- 2 Cor 12:8Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me.
- Luke 19:39But some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, rebuke Your disciples!”
- Luke 18:38So he called out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”
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 18:39 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.