But he perceived their craftiness, and said unto them, Why tempt ye me?
Parallel translations
- WEB But he perceived their craftiness, and said to them, “Why do you test me?
- BSB But Jesus saw through their duplicity and said to them,
- NKJV But He perceived their craftiness, and said to them, “Why do you test Me?
- NASB But He saw through their trickery and said to them,
- NLT He saw through their trickery and said,
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 perceives their craftiness and asks why they test him. He sees through their deceit.
Overview
Jesus is not deceived by the spies' flattery or their loaded question. His discernment exposes their hidden malice and turns the encounter to his purpose. The verse shows that no scheme can entrap the One who knows the hearts of men.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 12
- Matt 22:18But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, Why tempt ye me, ye hypocrites?
- 1 Cor 3:19For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness.
- Luke 5:22But when Jesus perceived their thoughts, he answering said unto them, What reason ye in your hearts?
- Luke 11:16–17And others, tempting him, sought of him a sign from heaven.
- Luke 6:8But he knew their thoughts, and said to the man which had the withered hand, Rise up, and stand forth in the midst. And he arose and stood forth.
- Luke 20:20And they watched him, and sent forth spies, which should feign themselves just men, that they might take hold of his words, that so they might deliver him unto the power and authority of the governor.
- Heb 4:13Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.
- Matt 16:1The Pharisees also with the Sadducees came, and tempting desired him that he would shew them a sign from heaven.
- John 2:24–25But Jesus did not commit himself unto them, because he knew all men,
- Ps 95:9When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my work.
- 1 Cor 10:9Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents.
- Luke 11:53–54And as he said these things unto them, the scribes and the Pharisees began to urge him vehemently, and to provoke him to speak of many things:
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 20:23 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.