Luke 20:8

Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”

World English Bible
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Other translations

WEBBE

Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”

BSB

And Jesus replied, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.”

KJV

And Jesus said unto them, Neither tell I you by what authority I do these things.

ASV

And Jesus said unto them, Neither tell I you by what authority I do these things.

Original Greek

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καὶ kai And G2532 ὁ ho (the) G3588 Ἰησοῦς Iēsous Jesus G2424 εἶπεν eipen said G2036 αὐτοῖς autois to them G846 οὐδὲ oude Neither G3761 ἐγὼ egō I myself G1473 λέγω legō tell G3004 ὑμῖν humin you G4771 ἐν en by G1722 ποίᾳ poia what G4169 ἐξουσίᾳ exousia authority G1849 ταῦτα tauta these things G3778 ποιῶ.¶ poiō I am doing G4160

The early church

And then it follows, And they answered, that they could not tell whence it was. Because they will not confess that which they knew, they were baffled, and the Lord would not tell them what He knew; as it follows, And Jesus said unto them, Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things. For there are two reasons especially why we should conceal the truth from those that ask; for example, when the questioner is incapable of understanding what he asks, or when from hatred or contempt he is unworthy to have his questions answered.
Bede · d. 735Catena Aurea (Aquinas, 1274)

Commentary

Matthew Henry · Verses 1–8

Men often pretend to examine the evidences of revelation, and the truth of the gospel, when only seeking excuses for their own unbelief and disobedience. Christ answered these priests and scribes with a plain question about the baptism of John, which the common people could answer. They all knew it was from heaven, nothing in it had an earthly tendency. Those that bury the knowledge they have, are justly denied further knowledge. It was just with Christ to refuse to give account of his authority, to those who knew the baptism of John to be from heaven, yet would not believe in him, nor own their knowledge.

Read Matthew Henry on Luke 20 →

Parallel passages

2

The same words or events elsewhere.

Matthew 21:27Mark 11:33

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7

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Jesus

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