Some of the scribes answered, “Teacher, You have spoken well!”
Parallel translations
- WEB Some of the scribes answered, “Teacher, you speak well.”
- KJV Then certain of the scribes answering said, Master, thou hast well said.
- NKJV Then some of the scribes answered and said, “Teacher, You have spoken well.”
- NASB Some of the scribes answered and said, “Teacher, You have spoken well.”
- NLT “Well said, Teacher!” remarked some of the teachers of religious law who were standing there.
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
Some scribes commend Jesus' answer, pleased that He has confounded the Sadducees.
Overview
The scribes, often Pharisees, shared belief in the resurrection and welcomed Jesus' refutation of their rivals. Their approval shows the force of His argument from Moses. Even opponents could not deny the wisdom and truth of His teaching.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 3
- Mark 12:28–34Now one of the scribes had come up and heard their debate. Noticing how well Jesus had answered them, he asked Him, “Which commandment is the most important of all?”
- Acts 23:9A great clamor arose, and some scribes from the party of the Pharisees got up and contended sharply, “We find nothing wrong with this man. What if a spirit or an angel has spoken to him?”
- Matt 22:34–40And when the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they themselves gathered together.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
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 20:39 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.