and they declared, saying to Him, “Tell us by what authority You are doing these things, or who is the one who gave You this authority?”
Parallel translations
- WEB They asked him, “Tell us: by what authority do you do these things? Or who is giving you this authority?”
- KJV And spake unto him, saying, Tell us, by what authority doest thou these things? or who is he that gave thee this authority?
- BSB “Tell us,” they said, “by what authority are You doing these things, and who gave You this authority?”
- NKJV and spoke to Him, saying, “Tell us, by what authority are You doing these things? Or who is he who gave You this authority?”
- NLT They demanded, “By what authority are you doing all these things? Who gave you the right?”
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
They demand to know by what authority Jesus acts and who gave it to him. The leaders question his right to teach and to cleanse the temple.
Overview
The authorities seek to trap Jesus, for any claim to divine authority could be used against him. Their question, however, exposes their refusal to recognize the authority plainly evident in his words and works. The exchange centers on the true source of Jesus's authority, which is from God himself.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 11
- Matt 21:23–27When he had come into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him as he was teaching, and said, “By what authority do you do these things? Who gave you this authority?”
- Mark 11:28–33and they began saying to him, “By what authority do you do these things? Or who gave you this authority to do these things?”
- Exod 2:14He said, “Who made you a prince and a judge over us? Do you plan to kill me, as you killed the Egyptian?” Moses was afraid, and said, “Surely this thing is known.”
- Acts 7:27But he who did his neighbor wrong pushed him away, saying, ‘Who made you a ruler and a judge over us?
- John 2:18The Jews therefore answered him, “What sign do you show us, seeing that you do these things?”
- Acts 7:35–39“This Moses, whom they refused, saying, ‘Who made you a ruler and a judge?’ — God has sent him as both a ruler and a deliverer by the hand of the angel who appeared to him in the bush.
- Acts 7:51“You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit! As your fathers did, so you do.
- Acts 4:7–10When they had stood them in the middle of them, they inquired, “By what power, or in what name, have you done this?”
- Luke 19:45–46He entered into the temple, and began to drive out those who bought and sold in it,
- Luke 19:35–40They brought it to Jesus. They threw their cloaks on the colt, and set Jesus on them.
- John 5:22–27For the Father judges no one, but he has given all judgment to the Son,
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 20:2 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.