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But Jesus turned and rebuked them.
Luke 9:55 · Berean Standard Bible
Parallel translations
  • WEB But he turned and rebuked them, “You don’t know of what kind of spirit you are.
  • KJV But he turned, and rebuked them, and said, Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of.
  • NKJV But He turned and rebuked them, and said, “You do not know what manner of spirit you are of.
  • NASB But He turned and rebuked them.
  • NLT But Jesus turned and rebuked them.

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 turns and rebukes them, saying they do not know what kind of spirit they are of. He corrects their vengeful attitude as contrary to His own.

Overview

Jesus rejects the desire for destructive retaliation, exposing the wrong spirit behind it. Rather than condemning the Samaritans, He shows patience and mercy. The rebuke teaches that His followers must reflect His own gracious, saving disposition, not a vindictive one.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 22

  • Matt 16:23But Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me. For you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.”
  • Job 2:10“You speak as a foolish woman speaks,” he told her. “Should we accept from God only good and not adversity?” In all this, Job did not sin in what he said.
  • Rev 3:19Those I love, I rebuke and discipline. Therefore be earnest and repent.
  • 1 Pet 3:9Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.
  • Job 26:4To whom have you uttered these words? And whose spirit spoke through you?
  • Matt 26:51At this, one of Jesus’ companions drew his sword and struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his ear.
  • Job 31:29–31If I have rejoiced in my enemy’s ruin, or exulted when evil befell him—
  • Jer 17:9The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?
  • 1 Sam 26:8–11Abishai said to David, “Today God has delivered your enemy into your hand. Now, therefore, please let me thrust the spear through him into the ground with one stroke. I will not need to strike him twice!”
  • Matt 26:41“Watch and pray so that you will not enter into temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak.”
  • Num 20:10–12Then Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly in front of the rock, and Moses said to them, “Listen now, you rebels, must we bring you water out of this rock?”
  • Job 34:4–9Let us choose for ourselves what is right; let us learn together what is good.
  • Jas 3:10Out of the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, this should not be!
  • Matt 26:33Peter said to Him, “Even if all fall away on account of You, I never will.”
  • 2 Sam 19:22And David replied, “Sons of Zeruiah, what have I to do with you, that you should be my adversaries today? Should any man be put to death in Israel today? Am I not indeed aware that today I am king over Israel?”
  • Job 42:6Therefore I retract my words, and I repent in dust and ashes.”
  • Job 35:2–4“Do you think this is just? You say, ‘I am more righteous than God.’
  • Acts 23:3–5Then Paul said to him, “God will strike you, you whitewashed wall! You sit here to judge me according to the law, yet you yourself violate the law by commanding that I be struck.”
  • 1 Sam 24:4–7So David’s men said to him, “This is the day about which the LORD said to you, ‘Behold, I will deliver your enemy into your hand, that you may do with him as you wish.’” Then David crept up secretly and cut off a corner of Saul’s robe.
  • Prov 9:8Do not rebuke a mocker, or he will hate you; rebuke a wise man, and he will love you.
  • Acts 26:9–11So then, I too was convinced that I ought to do all I could to oppose the name of Jesus of Nazareth.
  • John 16:9in regard to sin, because they do not believe in Me;

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (5)

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 9:55YouTube · 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 9:55 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.