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.
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.
- BSB 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,
- 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 4:17And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written,
- John 8:2And early in the morning he came again into the temple, and all the people came unto him; and he sat down, and taught them.
- Luke 19:48And could not find what they might do: for all the people were very attentive to hear him.
- Acts 13:14–16But when they departed from Perga, they came to Antioch in Pisidia, and went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and sat down.
- Matt 5:1–2And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him:
- Matt 26:55In that same hour said Jesus to the multitudes, Are ye come out as against a thief with swords and staves for to take me? I sat daily with you teaching in the temple, and ye laid no hold on me.
- Luke 5:3And he entered into one of the ships, which was Simon’s, and prayed him that he would thrust out a little from the land. And he sat down, and taught the people out of the ship.
- Matt 13:1–2The same day went Jesus out of the house, and sat by the sea side.
- Acts 16:13And on the sabbath we went out of the city by a river side, where prayer was wont to be made; and we sat down, and spake unto the women which resorted thither.
- Acts 3:12And when Peter saw it, he answered unto the people, Ye men of Israel, why marvel ye at this? or why look ye so earnestly on us, as though by our own power or holiness we had made this man to walk?
- Matt 20:26–28But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister;
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.