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.
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.
- 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.
- 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 book of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. He opened the book, and found the place where it was written,
- John 8:2Now very early in the morning, he came again into the temple, and all the people came to him. He sat down, and taught them.
- Luke 19:48They couldn’t find what they might do, for all the people hung on to every word that he said.
- Acts 13:14–16But they, passing on from Perga, came to Antioch of Pisidia. They went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and sat down.
- Matt 5:1–2Seeing the multitudes, he went up onto the mountain. When he had sat down, his disciples came to him.
- Matt 26:55In that hour Jesus said to the multitudes, “Have you come out as against a robber with swords and clubs to seize me? I sat daily in the temple teaching, and you didn’t arrest me.
- Luke 5:3He entered into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, and asked him to put out a little from the land. He sat down and taught the multitudes from the boat.
- Matt 13:1–2On that day Jesus went out of the house, and sat by the seaside.
- Acts 16:13On the Sabbath day we went outside of the city by a riverside, where we supposed there was a place of prayer, and we sat down, and spoke to the women who had come together.
- Acts 3:12When Peter saw it, he responded to the people, “You men of Israel, why do you marvel at this man? Why do you fasten your eyes on us, as though by our own power or godliness we had made him walk?
- Matt 20:26–28It shall not be so among you, but whoever desires to become great among you shall 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.