But he perceived their craftiness, and said to them, “Why do you test me?
Parallel translations
- KJV But he perceived their craftiness, and said unto them, Why tempt ye 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 do you test me, you hypocrites?
- 1 Cor 3:19For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, “He has taken the wise in their craftiness.”
- Luke 5:22But Jesus, perceiving their thoughts, answered them, “Why are you reasoning so in your hearts?
- Luke 11:16–17Others, testing him, sought from him a sign from heaven.
- Luke 6:8But he knew their thoughts; and he said to the man who had the withered hand, “Rise up, and stand in the middle.” He arose and stood.
- Luke 20:20They watched him, and sent out spies, who pretended to be righteous, that they might trap him in something he said, so as to deliver him up to the power and authority of the governor.
- Heb 4:13There is no creature that is hidden from his sight, but all things are naked and laid open before the eyes of him to whom we must give an account.
- Matt 16:1The Pharisees and Sadducees came, and testing him, asked him to show them a sign from heaven.
- John 2:24–25But Jesus didn’t trust himself to them, because he knew everyone,
- Ps 95:9when your fathers tempted me, tested me, and saw my work.
- 1 Cor 10:9Let us not test Christ, as some of them tested, and perished by the serpents.
- Luke 11:53–54As he said these things to them, the scribes and the Pharisees began to be terribly angry, and to draw many things out of him;
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.