“Why are you troubled,” Jesus asked, “and why do doubts arise in your hearts?
Parallel translations
- WEB He said to them, “Why are you troubled? Why do doubts arise in your hearts?
- KJV And he said unto them, Why are ye troubled? and why do thoughts arise in your hearts?
- NKJV And He said to them, “Why are you troubled? And why do doubts arise in your hearts?
- NASB And He said to them, “Why are you frightened, and why are doubts arising in your hearts?
- NLT “Why are you frightened?” he asked. “Why are your hearts filled with doubt?
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 asks why they are troubled and why doubts fill their hearts. He gently addresses their fear before offering proof of his bodily presence.
Overview
Reading their hearts, Jesus questions the trouble and doubt that grip them. His words are pastoral, inviting them to move past fear toward faith. By naming their inner turmoil, he prepares them to receive the tangible evidence of his risen body that follows.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 5
- Jer 4:14Wash the evil from your heart, O Jerusalem, so that you may be saved. How long will you harbor wicked thoughts within you?
- Heb 4:13Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight; everything is uncovered and exposed before the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.
- Dan 4:5I had a dream, and it frightened me; while in my bed, the images and visions in my mind alarmed me.
- Dan 4:19For a time, Daniel, who was also known as Belteshazzar, was perplexed, and his thoughts alarmed him. So the king said, “Belteshazzar, do not let the dream or its interpretation alarm you.” “My lord,” replied Belteshazzar, “may the dream apply to those who hate you, and its interpretation to your enemies!
- Matt 16:8Aware of their conversation, Jesus said, “You of little faith, why are you debating among yourselves about having no bread?
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 24:38 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.