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As they went on the way, a certain man said to him, “I want to follow you wherever you go, Lord.”
Luke 9:57 · World English Bible
Parallel translations
  • KJV And it came to pass, that, as they went in the way, a certain man said unto him, Lord, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest.
  • BSB As they were walking along the road, someone said to Jesus, “I will follow You wherever You go.”
  • NKJV Now it happened as they journeyed on the road, that someone said to Him, “Lord, I will follow You wherever You go.”
  • NASB As they were going on the road, someone said to Him, “I will follow You wherever You go.”
  • NLT As they were walking along, someone said to Jesus, “I will follow you wherever you go.”

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

A man volunteers to follow Jesus wherever He goes. His enthusiasm meets a sobering word about the cost of discipleship.

Overview

The eager offer sounds wholehearted, but Jesus will test whether the man counts the cost. This encounter begins a series of exchanges about true discipleship. It reminds would-be followers that zeal must be matched by a clear-eyed willingness to share Jesus' hardship.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 5

  • Matt 8:19–22A scribe came, and said to him, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.”
  • John 13:37Peter said to him, “Lord, why can’t I follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.”
  • Luke 9:57–60As they went on the way, a certain man said to him, “I want to follow you wherever you go, Lord.”
  • Exod 19:8All the people answered together, and said, “All that Yahweh has spoken we will do.” Moses reported the words of the people to Yahweh.
  • Luke 9:51It came to pass, when the days were near that he should be taken up, he intently set his face to go to Jerusalem,

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 9:57YouTube · 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 9:57 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.