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For the Son of man is not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them. And they went to another village.
Luke 9:56 · King James Version
Parallel translations
  • WEB For the Son of Man didn’t come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them.” They went to another village.
  • BSB And He and His disciples went on to another village.
  • NKJV For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives but to save them. ” And they went to another village.
  • NASB And they went on to another village.
  • NLT So they went on to another village.

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 says the Son of Man came to save lives, not destroy them, and they go to another village. His purpose is salvation, not condemnation.

Overview

Jesus defines His mission in terms of saving rather than destroying, in direct contrast to the disciples' request. (Some early manuscripts do not include the fuller saying, but its substance accords with Jesus' clear teaching elsewhere, as in John 3:17.) By simply moving on to another village, He models patience and the priority of mercy in this age of grace.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 13

  • Matt 20:28Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.
  • Rom 12:21Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.
  • John 3:17For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
  • Luke 19:10For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.
  • John 10:10The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
  • 1 Pet 2:21–23For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps:
  • Matt 18:10Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven.
  • Luke 6:27–31But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you,
  • 1 Tim 1:15This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.
  • Luke 22:51And Jesus answered and said, Suffer ye thus far. And he touched his ear, and healed him.
  • Luke 23:34Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots.
  • John 12:47And if any man hear my words, and believe not, I judge him not: for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world.
  • Matt 5:39But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (3)

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 9:56YouTube · 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 9:56 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.