While He was reclining at the table with them, He took bread, spoke a blessing and broke it, and gave it to them.
Parallel translations
- WEB When he had sat down at the table with them, he took the bread and gave thanks. Breaking it, he gave to them.
- KJV And it came to pass, as he sat at meat with them, he took bread, and blessed it, and brake, and gave to them.
- NKJV Now it came to pass, as He sat at the table with them, that He took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them.
- NASB And it came about, when He had reclined at the table with them, that He took the bread and blessed it, and He broke it and began giving it to them.
- NLT As they sat down to eat, he took the bread and blessed it. Then he broke it and gave it to them.
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
At the table Jesus takes bread, gives thanks, breaks it, and distributes it. The familiar actions echo his earlier ministry and become the moment of revelation.
Overview
The guest assumes the role of host, taking, blessing, breaking, and giving the bread, the same fourfold pattern seen at the feeding of the multitude and the Last Supper. These distinctive gestures stir recognition. Luke highlights how Christ is made known in the breaking of bread, a phrase rich with both ordinary fellowship and eucharistic resonance.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 11
- Matt 14:19And He directed the crowds to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, He spoke a blessing. Then He broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people.
- Luke 24:35Then the two told what had happened on the road, and how they had recognized Jesus in the breaking of the bread.
- Luke 9:16Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, Jesus spoke a blessing and broke them. Then He gave them to the disciples to set before the people.
- Matt 15:36Taking the seven loaves and the fish, He gave thanks and broke them. Then He gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people.
- John 6:11Then Jesus took the loaves and the fish, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted.
- Mark 14:22While they were eating, Jesus took bread, spoke a blessing and broke it, and gave it to the disciples, saying, “Take it; this is My body.”
- Luke 22:19And He took the bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is My body, given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.”
- Acts 27:35After he had said this, Paul took bread and gave thanks to God in front of them all. Then he broke it and began to eat.
- Mark 8:6And He instructed the crowd to sit down on the ground. Then He took the seven loaves, gave thanks and broke them, and gave them to His disciples to set before the people. And they distributed them to the crowd.
- Mark 6:41Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, Jesus spoke a blessing and broke the loaves. Then He gave them to His disciples to set before the people. And He divided the two fish among them all.
- Matt 26:26While they were eating, Jesus took bread, spoke a blessing and broke it, and gave it to the disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is My body.”
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 24:30 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.