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Then He added, “Truly I tell you, no prophet is accepted in his hometown.
Luke 4:24 · Berean Standard Bible
Parallel translations
  • WEB He said, “Most certainly I tell you, no prophet is acceptable in his hometown.
  • KJV And he said, Verily I say unto you, No prophet is accepted in his own country.
  • NKJV Then He said, “Assuredly, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own country.
  • NASB But He said, “Truly I say to you, no prophet is welcome in his hometown.
  • NLT But I tell you the truth, no prophet is accepted in his own hometown.

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 states that no prophet is accepted in his hometown. Those closest by background often reject God's messenger.

Overview

With 'most certainly I tell you,' Jesus solemnly notes the familiar pattern that prophets are rejected by their own people. Nazareth's unbelief fits the long history of Israel spurning those God sent. The saying prepares for the examples of Elijah and Elisha that follow, and ultimately for the cross.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 6

  • Matt 13:57And they took offense at Him. But Jesus said to them, “Only in his hometown and in his own household is a prophet without honor.”
  • John 4:44Now He Himself had testified that a prophet has no honor in his own hometown.
  • Mark 6:4–5Then Jesus said to them, “Only in his hometown, among his relatives, and in his own household is a prophet without honor.”
  • Acts 22:3“I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but raised in this city. I was educated at the feet of Gamaliel in strict conformity to the law of our fathers. I am just as zealous for God as any of you here today.
  • Acts 22:18–22and saw the Lord saying to me, ‘Hurry! Leave Jerusalem quickly, because the people here will not accept your testimony about Me.’
  • John 4:41And many more believed because of His message.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (4)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — Luke videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on Luke 4:24YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on LukeMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    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 4:24 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.