You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers and relatives and friends, and some of you will be put to death.
Parallel translations
- WEB You will be handed over even by parents, brothers, relatives, and friends. They will cause some of you to be put to death.
- KJV And ye shall be betrayed both by parents, and brethren, and kinsfolks, and friends; and some of you shall they cause to be put to death.
- NKJV You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, relatives and friends; and they will put some of you to death.
- NASB But you will be betrayed even by parents, brothers and sisters, other relatives, and friends, and they will put some of you to death,
- NLT Even those closest to you—your parents, brothers, relatives, and friends—will betray you. They will even kill some of you.
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
Even close family and friends will betray believers, and some will be put to death.
Overview
Jesus warns that loyalty to Him may cost the dearest earthly relationships and even life itself. The gospel divides, and faithfulness can bring betrayal from those closest to us. Yet such martyrdom is honored by the Lord who Himself gave His life.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 12
- Luke 12:53They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”
- Rev 6:9And when the Lamb opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony they had upheld.
- Matt 10:21Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; children will rise against their parents and have them put to death.
- Jer 9:4“Let everyone guard against his neighbor; do not trust any brother, for every brother deals craftily, and every friend spreads slander.
- Mark 13:12Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child. Children will rise against their parents and have them put to death.
- Mic 7:5–6Do not rely on a friend; do not trust in a companion. Seal the doors of your mouth from her who lies in your arms.
- Jer 12:6Even your brothers—your own father’s household—even they have betrayed you; even they have cried aloud against you. Do not trust them, though they speak well of you.
- Rev 12:11They have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony. And they did not love their lives so as to shy away from death.
- Acts 12:2He had James, the brother of John, put to death with the sword.
- Rev 2:13I know where you live, where the throne of Satan sits. Yet you have held fast to My name and have not denied your faith in Me, even in the day when My faithful witness Antipas was killed among you, where Satan dwells.
- Acts 7:59While they were stoning him, Stephen appealed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.”
- Acts 26:10–11And that is what I did in Jerusalem. With authority from the chief priests I put many of the saints in prison, and when they were condemned to death, I cast my vote against them.
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 21:16 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.