LUK 13:22-30

The Narrow Door

22And he was traveling through cities and villages, teaching and making his way toward Jerusalem. [13:23] Someone said to him, "Lord, are few the ones being delivered?" And he said to them: [13:24] "Struggle to enter through the narrow door, because many — Jesus told them — will seek to enter and will not be able. [13:25] Once the master of the house rises and shuts the door, you will begin standing outside and knocking on the door, saying, 'Lord, open to us,' and he will answer and say to you, 'I do not know you, where you are from.' [13:26] Then you will begin to say, 'We ate before you and drank, and in our wide roads you taught.' [13:27] And he will say, speaking to you, 'I do not know you, where you are from. Depart from me, all workers of iniquity.' [13:28] There will be weeping and grinding of teeth when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but yourselves thrown outside. [13:29] And they will come from east and west and north and south, and will recline in the kingdom of God. [13:30] And behold, there are last ones who will be first, and there are first ones who will be last."

In the world it was spoken into

In 1st-century Jewish and Greco-Roman contexts, the imagery of a 'narrow door' would evoke immediate recognition. Doors were not merely physical thresholds but symbolic markers of inclusion and exclusion, often tied to social status, purity, or communal identity. The 'master of the house' was a figure of authority, responsible for regulating access to the household, a microcosm of societal order. The question about 'few being saved' reflects Jewish apocalyptic expectations, where salvation was often tied to covenantal faithfulness and divine election. The verb 'strive' carries connotations of athletic or military struggle, emphasizing the intensity required to enter. The rejection scene, where the master denies knowing those who knock, mirrors the honor-shame dynamics of patronage, where recognition was contingent on prior relationship and merit. The mention of eating 'in your presence' alludes to table fellowship, a marker of social and religious inclusion. For Jesus' audience, this imagery would challenge assumptions about automatic inclusion in God's kingdom based on ethnicity or ritual observance.

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How other translations render this

LUK 13:22

KJV: And he went through the cities and villages, teaching, and journeying toward Jerusalem.
BSB: Then Jesus traveled throughout the towns and villages, teaching as He made His way toward Jerusalem.
Koinōnos: And he was traveling through cities and villages, teaching and making his way toward Jerusalem.

LUK 13:23

KJV: Then said one unto him, Lord, are there few that be saved? And he said unto them,
BSB: “Lord,” someone asked Him, “will only a few people be saved?” Jesus answered,
Koinōnos: Someone said to him, "Lord, are few the ones being delivered?" And he said to them:

LUK 13:24

KJV: Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able.
BSB: “Make every effort to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able.
Koinōnos: Struggle to enter through the narrow door, because many — Jesus told them — will seek to enter and will not be able.

LUK 13:25

KJV: When once the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut to the door, and ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us; and he shall answer and say unto you, I know you not whence ye are:
BSB: After the master of the house gets up and shuts the door, you will stand outside knocking and saying, ‘Lord, open the door for us.’ But he will reply, ‘I do not know where you are from.’
Koinōnos: Once the master of the house rises and shuts the door, you will begin standing outside and knocking on the door, saying, 'Lord, open to us,' and he will answer and say to you, 'I do not know you, where you are from.

LUK 13:26

KJV: Then shall ye begin to say, We have eaten and drunk in thy presence, and thou hast taught in our streets.
BSB: Then you will say, ‘We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.’
Koinōnos: Then you will begin to say, 'We ate before you and drank, and in our wide roads you taught.

LUK 13:27

KJV: But he shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence ye are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity.
BSB: And he will answer, ‘I tell you, I do not know where you are from. Depart from me, all you evildoers.’
Koinōnos: And he will say, speaking to you, 'I do not know you, where you are from. Depart from me, all workers of iniquity.

LUK 13:28

KJV: There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out.
BSB: There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth when you see Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but you yourselves are thrown out.
Koinōnos: There will be weeping and grinding of teeth when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but yourselves thrown outside.

LUK 13:29

KJV: And they shall come from the east, and from the west, and from the north, and from the south, and shall sit down in the kingdom of God.
BSB: People will come from east and west and north and south, and will recline at the table in the kingdom of God.
Koinōnos: And they will come from east and west and north and south, and will recline in the kingdom of God.

LUK 13:30

KJV: And, behold, there are last which shall be first, and there are first which shall be last.
BSB: And indeed, some who are last will be first, and some who are first will be last.”
Koinōnos: And behold, there are last ones who will be first, and there are first ones who will be last.

Only verses where the wording diverges meaningfully are shown. Identical phrasings are suppressed.

Translator's notes

LUK 13:23

being saved?:The word translated 'being saved' here implies a process of being delivered or rescued, often with a sense of preservation from danger or destruction, rather than just a one-time event.

LUK 13:24

do strive:The term translated 'do strive' carried the sense of an intense struggle or contest, like an athlete competing in the Olympic games, requiring great effort and discipline.

LUK 13:26

streets:The word translated 'streets' refers to broad, wide roads or public squares, often places of public gathering and activity, not just narrow lanes.

LUK 13:27

all [you]:The word translated 'all [you]' is literally 'all workers of iniquity,' emphasizing that those being addressed are actively engaged in wrongdoing, not just passively associated with it.