Then Jesus declared, “How can it be said that the Christ is the Son of David?
Parallel translations
- WEB He said to them, “Why do they say that the Christ is David’s son?
- KJV And he said unto them, How say they that Christ is David’s son?
- NKJV And He said to them, “How can they say that the Christ is the Son of David?
- NASB But He said to them, “How is it that they say the Christ is David’s son?
- NLT Then Jesus presented them with a question. “Why is it,” he asked, “that the Messiah is said to be the son of David?
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 turns the questioning around, asking how the Christ can be called David's son.
Overview
Having silenced His critics, Jesus now poses His own question about the identity of the Messiah. The common expectation was that the Christ would simply be a descendant of David. Jesus presses deeper, preparing to reveal that the Messiah is far greater than a mere earthly king.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 13
- Mark 12:35–37While Jesus was teaching in the temple courts, He asked, “How can the scribes say that the Christ is the Son of David?
- Matt 1:1This is the record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham:
- Matt 22:41–45While the Pharisees were assembled, Jesus questioned them:
- Isa 11:1–2Then a shoot will spring up from the stump of Jesse, and a Branch from his roots will bear fruit.
- Luke 18:38–39So he called out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”
- Jer 23:5–6Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and He will reign wisely as King and will administer justice and righteousness in the land.
- Rom 1:3–4regarding His Son, who was a descendant of David according to the flesh,
- Acts 2:30But he was a prophet and knew that God had promised him on oath that He would place one of his descendants on his throne.
- Isa 9:6–7For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government will be upon His shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
- Jer 33:15–16In those days and at that time I will cause to sprout for David a righteous Branch, and He will administer justice and righteousness in the land.
- John 7:42Doesn’t the Scripture say that the Christ will come from the line of David and from Bethlehem, the village where David lived?”
- Jer 33:21then My covenant may also be broken with David My servant and with My ministers the Levites who are priests, so that David will not have a son to reign on his throne.
- Rev 22:16“I, Jesus, have sent My angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the bright Morning Star.”
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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 20:41 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.