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But his citizens hated him, and sent a message after him, saying, We will not have this man to reign over us.
Luke 19:14 · King James Version
Parallel translations
  • WEB But his citizens hated him, and sent an envoy after him, saying, ‘We don’t want this man to reign over us.’
  • BSB But his subjects hated him and sent a delegation after him to say, ‘We do not want this man to rule over us.’
  • NKJV But his citizens hated him, and sent a delegation after him, saying, ‘We will not have this man to reign over us.’
  • NASB But his citizens hated him and sent a delegation after him, saying, ‘We do not want this man to reign over us.’
  • NLT But his people hated him and sent a delegation after him to say, ‘We do not want him to be our king.’

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 nobleman's citizens hate him and send word that they reject his rule. This pictures those who refuse to have Christ reign over them.

Overview

The rebellious citizens represent people, including Jesus's own contemporaries in Jerusalem, who resent and reject his kingship. Their hostility runs alongside the servants' stewardship as a parallel theme of the parable. Rejecting the King carries grave consequences, as the parable's ending will make plain.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 11

  • 1 Sam 8:7And the LORD said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them.
  • Acts 7:51–52Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye.
  • Acts 3:14–15But ye denied the Holy One and the Just, and desired a murderer to be granted unto you;
  • Ps 2:1–3Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing?
  • Luke 19:27But those mine enemies, which would not that I should reign over them, bring hither, and slay them before me.
  • John 1:11He came unto his own, and his own received him not.
  • John 15:18If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you.
  • John 15:23–24He that hateth me hateth my Father also.
  • Zech 11:8Three shepherds also I cut off in one month; and my soul lothed them, and their soul also abhorred me.
  • Acts 4:27–28For of a truth against thy holy child Jesus, whom thou hast anointed, both Herod, and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the people of Israel, were gathered together,
  • Isa 49:7Thus saith the LORD, the Redeemer of Israel, and his Holy One, to him whom man despiseth, to him whom the nation abhorreth, to a servant of rulers, Kings shall see and arise, princes also shall worship, because of the LORD that is faithful, and the Holy One of Israel, and he shall choose thee.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (14)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — Luke videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on Luke 19:14YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on LukeMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    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 19:14 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.