Luke 20:41

He said to them, “Why do they say that the Christ is David’s son?

World English Bible

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Other translations

WEBBE

He said to them, “Why do they say that the Christ is David’s son?

BSB

Then Jesus declared, “How can it be said that the Christ is the Son of David?

KJV

And he said unto them, How say they that Christ is David’s son?

ASV

And he said unto them, How say they that the Christ is David’s son?

BBE

And he said to them, Why do they say that the Christ is the son of David?

Original Greek

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Εἶπεν Eipen He said G2036 δὲ de then G1161 πρὸς pros to G4314 αὐτούς autous them G846 πῶς pōs How G4459 λέγουσιν legousin do they declare G3004 τὸν ton the G3588 χριστὸν christon Christ G5547 εἶναι einai to be G1511 Δαυὶδ Dauid David's G1138 υἱόν; huion Son G5207

The early church

They are not blamed here because they acknowledge Him to be David's Son, for the blind man for so doing was thought worthy to be healed. (Luke 18:42.) And the children saying, Hosanna to the Son of David, (Matt. 21:9.) rendered to God the glory of the highest praise; but they are blamed because they believe Him not to be the Son of God. Hence it is added, And David himself saith in the book of Psalms, The Lord said unto my Lord. (Ps. 110:1.) Both the Father is Lord and the Son is Lord, but there are not two Lords, but one Lord, for the Father is in the Son, and the Son is in the Father. He Himself sits at the right hand of the Father, for He is coequal with the Father, inferior to none; for it follows, Sit thou at my right hand. He is not honoured by sitting at the right hand, nor is He degraded by being sent. Degrees of dignity are not sought for, where is the fulness of divinity.

Ambrose of Milan · d. 397Catena Aurea (Aquinas, 1274)

Or, that He sits on the Father's right hand proves His heavenly glory. For whose throne is equal, their Majesty is equal. But sitting when it is said of God signifies a universal kingdom and power. Therefore He sitteth at the right hand of the Father, because the Word proceeding from the substance of the Father, being made flesh, putteth not off His divine glory. We then likewise in answer to the new Pharisees, who neither confess the Son of the holy Virgin to be the true Son of God, nor to be God, but divide one son into two, put the like objections: How then is the Son of David David's Lord, and that not by human lordship, but divine?

Cyril of Alexandria · d. 444Catena Aurea (Aquinas, 1274)

And since they had been defeated in argument, they ask Him no further questions, but seize Him, and deliver Him up to the Roman power. From which we may learn, that the poison of envy may indeed be subdued, but it is a hard thing to keep it at rest.

Bede · d. 735Catena Aurea (Aquinas, 1274)

Although our Lord was shortly about to enter on His Passion, He proclaims His own Godhead, and that too neither incautiously nor boastfully, but with modesty. For He puts a question to them, and having thrown them into perplexity, leaves them to reason out the conclusion; as it follows, And he said unto them, How say they that Christ is David's son?

Theophylact of Ohrid · d. 1107Catena Aurea (Aquinas, 1274)

Commentary

Matthew Henry · Verses 39–47

The scribes commended the reply Christ made to the Sadducees about the resurrection, but they were silenced by a question concerning the Messiah. Christ, as God, was David's Lord; but Christ, as man, was David's son. The scribes would receive the severest judgement for defrauding the poor widows, and for their abuse of religion, particularly of prayer, which they used as a pretence for carrying on worldly and wicked plans. Dissembled piety is double sin. Then let us beg of God to keep us from pride, ambition, covetousness, and every evil thing; and to teach us to seek that honour which comes from him alone.

Read Matthew Henry on Luke 20 →

Parallel passages

The same words or events elsewhere.

Matthew 22:42 Mark 12:35

Cross-references

People & places

Jesus David

Topics

Jesus, The Christ

Cross-references: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. Hebrew and Greek data from STEPBible.org (Tyndale House, Cambridge), CC BY 4.0. Library: sources.