So they said, “Look, Lord, here are two swords.” “That is enough,” He answered.
Parallel translations
- WEB They said, “Lord, behold, here are two swords.” He said to them, “That is enough.”
- KJV And they said, Lord, behold, here are two swords. And he said unto them, It is enough.
- NKJV So they said, “Lord, look, here are two swords.” And He said to them, “It is enough.”
- NASB They said, “Lord, look, here are two swords.” And He said to them, “It is enough.”
- NLT “Look, Lord,” they replied, “we have two swords among us.” “That’s enough,” he 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
The disciples produce two swords, and Jesus says, 'That is enough.' His reply likely closes the conversation rather than endorsing armed force.
Overview
Misunderstanding Jesus' words, the disciples point to two swords on hand. Jesus' response, 'That is enough,' is widely read as ending the misdirected discussion rather than calling for a small arsenal. His later command to put away the sword confirms that He was not summoning His followers to violence to defend the Kingdom.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 7
- Matt 26:52–54“Put your sword back in its place,” Jesus said to him. “For all who draw the sword will die by the sword.
- 2 Cor 10:3–4For though we live in the flesh, we do not wage war according to the flesh.
- Luke 22:49Those around Jesus saw what was about to happen and said, “Lord, should we strike with our swords?”
- John 18:36Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world; if it were, My servants would fight to prevent My arrest by the Jews. But now My kingdom is not of this realm.”
- Eph 6:10–18Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power.
- 1 Th 5:8But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and the helmet of our hope of salvation.
- 1 Pet 5:9Resist him, standing firm in your faith and in the knowledge that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kinds of suffering.
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 22:38 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.