All spoke well of Him and marveled at the gracious words that came from His lips. “Isn’t this the son of Joseph?” they asked.
Parallel translations
- WEB All testified about him, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth, and they said, “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?”
- KJV And all bare him witness, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth. And they said, Is not this Joseph’s son?
- NKJV So all bore witness to Him, and marveled at the gracious words which proceeded out of His mouth. And they said, “Is this not Joseph’s son?”
- NASB And all the people were speaking well of Him, and admiring the gracious words which were coming from His lips; and yet they were saying, “Is this not Joseph’s son?”
- NLT Everyone spoke well of him and was amazed by the gracious words that came from his lips. “How can this be?” they asked. “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?”
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 crowd marvels at His gracious words yet questions, 'Isn't this Joseph's son?' Familiarity breeds doubt about His true identity.
Overview
The people are impressed by Jesus' gracious speech but stumble over His ordinary origins as the carpenter's son. Their amazement is mingled with unbelief, unable to reconcile His claims with the man they knew. This tension exposes how familiarity can blind people to who Jesus really is.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 16
- Matt 13:54–56Coming to His hometown, He taught the people in their synagogue, and they were astonished. “Where did this man get such wisdom and miraculous powers?” they asked.
- Ps 45:2You are the most handsome of men; grace has anointed your lips, since God has blessed you forever.
- Acts 6:10but they could not stand up to his wisdom or the Spirit by whom he spoke.
- John 6:42They were asking, “Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How then can He say, ‘I have come down from heaven?’”
- Mark 6:2–3When the Sabbath came, He began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard Him were astonished. “Where did this man get these ideas?” they asked. “What is this wisdom He has been given? And how can He perform such miracles?
- Eccl 12:10–11The Teacher searched to find delightful sayings and to record accurate words of truth.
- John 7:46“Never has anyone spoken like this man!” the officers answered.
- Luke 21:15For I will give you speech and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict.
- 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.
- Song 5:16His mouth is most sweet; he is altogether lovely. This is my beloved, and this is my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem.
- Titus 2:8and wholesome speech that is above reproach, so that anyone who opposes us will be ashamed, having nothing bad to say about us.
- Prov 16:21The wise in heart are called discerning, and pleasant speech promotes instruction.
- Ps 45:4In your splendor ride forth in victory on behalf of truth and humility and justice; may your right hand show your awesome deeds.
- Prov 25:11A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.
- Prov 10:32The lips of the righteous know what is fitting, but the mouth of the wicked is perverse.
- Luke 2:47And all who heard Him were astounded at His understanding and His answers.
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 4:22 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.