Then He rolled up the scroll, returned it to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fixed on Him,
Parallel translations
- WEB He closed the book, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fastened on him.
- KJV And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him.
- NKJV Then He closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him.
- NASB And He rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down; and the eyes of all the people in the synagogue were intently directed at Him.
- NLT He rolled up the scroll, handed it back to the attendant, and sat down. All eyes in the synagogue looked at him intently.
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 rolls up the scroll, sits down, and every eye fixes on Him. His action signals that He is about to teach with authority.
Overview
Returning the scroll and sitting—the teacher's posture—Jesus commands the rapt attention of the synagogue. The dramatic pause heightens expectation for the announcement to come. All eyes are fastened on the One in whom Scripture is being fulfilled.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 11
- Luke 4:17the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him. Unrolling it, He found the place where it was written:
- John 8:2Early in the morning He went back into the temple courts. All the people came to Him, and He sat down to teach them.
- Luke 19:48Yet they could not find a way to do so, because all the people hung on His words.
- Acts 13:14–16And from Perga, they traveled inland to Pisidian Antioch, where they entered the synagogue on the Sabbath and sat down.
- Matt 5:1–2When Jesus saw the crowds, He went up on the mountain and sat down. His disciples came to Him,
- Matt 26:55At that time Jesus said to the crowd, “Have you come out with swords and clubs to arrest Me as you would an outlaw? Every day I sat teaching in the temple courts, and you did not arrest Me.
- Luke 5:3Jesus got into the boat belonging to Simon and asked him to put out a little from shore. And sitting down, He taught the people from the boat.
- Matt 13:1–2That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the sea.
- Acts 16:13On the Sabbath we went outside the city gate along the river, where it was customary to find a place of prayer. After sitting down, we spoke to the women who had gathered there.
- Acts 3:12And when Peter saw this, he addressed the people: “Men of Israel, why are you surprised by this? Why do you stare at us as if by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk?
- Matt 20:26–28It shall not be this way among you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant,
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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 4:20 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.