And Jesus answering them said, Have ye not read so much as this, what David did, when himself was an hungred, and they which were with him;
Parallel translations
- WEB Jesus, answering them, said, “Haven’t you read what David did when he was hungry, he, and those who were with him;
- BSB Jesus replied, “Have you not read what David did when he and his companions were hungry?
- NKJV But Jesus answering them said, “Have you not even read this, what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him:
- NASB And Jesus, answering them, said, “Have you not even read what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him,
- NLT Jesus replied, “Haven’t you read in the Scriptures what David did when he and his companions were hungry?
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 answers with the example of David eating consecrated bread when hungry. Scripture itself shows mercy taking precedence over ritual.
Overview
Jesus appeals to 1 Samuel 21, where David and his men ate the holy showbread out of need. By citing this, he shows that the leaders' rigid reading misses how God's law serves human need under genuine circumstances. The argument prepares for his claim of an even greater authority than David's.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 9
- 1 Sam 21:3–6Now therefore what is under thine hand? give me five loaves of bread in mine hand, or what there is present.
- Mark 2:25–26And he said unto them, Have ye never read what David did, when he had need, and was an hungred, he, and they that were with him?
- Matt 12:3–5But he said unto them, Have ye not read what David did, when he was an hungred, and they that were with him;
- Matt 21:16And said unto him, Hearest thou what these say? And Jesus saith unto them, Yea; have ye never read, Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise?
- Mark 12:10And have ye not read this scripture; The stone which the builders rejected is become the head of the corner:
- Matt 22:31But as touching the resurrection of the dead, have ye not read that which was spoken unto you by God, saying,
- Mark 12:26And as touching the dead, that they rise: have ye not read in the book of Moses, how in the bush God spake unto him, saying, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob?
- Matt 19:4And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female,
- Matt 21:42Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord’s doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes?
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 6:3 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.