And he said unto another, Follow me. But he said, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father.
Parallel translations
- WEB He said to another, “Follow me!” But he said, “Lord, allow me first to go and bury my father.”
- BSB Then He said to another man, “Follow Me.” The man replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.”
- NKJV Then He said to another, “Follow Me.” But he said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.”
- NASB And He said to another, “Follow Me.” But he said, “Lord, permit me first to go and bury my father.”
- NLT He said to another person, “Come, follow me.” The man agreed, but he said, “Lord, first let me return home and bury my father.”
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 calls another to follow, but the man asks first to bury his father. A seemingly reasonable delay reveals competing priorities.
Overview
Burying one's father was a sacred duty, so the request appears entirely fitting. Yet it may signal a delay until obligations are fully settled, perhaps over a long period. Jesus' response will show that the call to follow Him takes precedence over even honorable earthly concerns.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 7
- Matt 16:24Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
- 1 Kgs 19:20And he left the oxen, and ran after Elijah, and said, Let me, I pray thee, kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow thee. And he said unto him, Go back again: for what have I done to thee?
- Matt 8:21–22And another of his disciples said unto him, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father.
- Matt 6:33But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
- Hag 1:2Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, This people say, The time is not come, the time that the LORD’s house should be built.
- Matt 4:19–22And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.
- Matt 9:9And as Jesus passed forth from thence, he saw a man, named Matthew, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he saith unto him, Follow me. And he arose, and followed him.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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 9:59 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.