They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us as He spoke with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?”
Parallel translations
- WEB They said to one another, “Weren’t our hearts burning within us, while he spoke to us along the way, and while he opened the Scriptures to us?”
- KJV And they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures?
- NKJV And they said to one another, “Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?”
- NASB They said to one another, “Were our hearts not burning within us when He was speaking to us on the road, while He was explaining the Scriptures to us?”
- NLT They said to each other, “Didn’t our hearts burn within us as he talked with us on the road and explained the Scriptures to us?”
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 two realize their hearts had burned while Jesus expounded the Scriptures on the road. Encountering Christ in the word kindles living faith and joy.
Overview
Looking back, the disciples recognize that the warmth they felt came from Jesus opening the Scriptures to them. The burning heart describes the inward effect of God's word rightly understood and applied. Their experience commends Christ-centered reading of Scripture as the means by which the Spirit warms and assures believers.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 13
- Luke 24:45Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures.
- Jer 23:29“Is not My word like fire,” declares the LORD, “and like a hammer that smashes a rock?”
- Heb 4:12For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it pierces even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow. It judges the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
- Ps 39:3My heart grew hot within me; as I mused, the fire burned. Then I spoke with my tongue:
- Jer 20:9If I say, “I will not mention Him or speak any more in His name,” His message becomes a fire burning in my heart, shut up in my bones, and I become weary of holding it in, and I cannot prevail.
- Jer 15:16Your words were found, and I ate them. Your words became my joy and my heart’s delight. For I bear Your name, O LORD God of Hosts.
- Prov 27:17As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.
- John 6:63The Spirit gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life.
- Acts 17:2–3As was his custom, Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbaths he reasoned with them from the Scriptures,
- Acts 28:23So they set a day to meet with Paul, and many people came to the place he was staying. He expounded to them from morning to evening, testifying about the kingdom of God and persuading them about Jesus from the Law of Moses and the Prophets.
- Ps 104:34May my meditation be pleasing to Him, for I rejoice in the LORD.
- Isa 50:4The Lord GOD has given Me the tongue of discipleship, to sustain the weary with a word. He awakens Me morning by morning; He awakens My ear to listen as a disciple.
- Prov 27:9Oil and incense bring joy to the heart, and the sweetness of a friend is counsel to the soul.
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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 24:32 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.