57As they were going along the road, someone said to him: "I will follow you wherever you go." [9:58] Jesus said to him: "The foxes have dens and the birds of the sky have nesting places, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head." [9:59] He said to another: "Follow me." But he said: "Lord, permit me first to go and bury my father." [9:60] He said to him: "Leave the dead to bury their own dead; but you — go and proclaim the kingdom of God." [9:61] Another also said: "I will follow you, Lord, but first permit me to take leave of those at my house." [9:62] Jesus said to him: "No one who puts his hand to the plow and keeps looking back is fit for the kingdom of God."
LUK 9:57-62
The Cost of Discipleship
In the world it was spoken into
In 1st-century Galilee, familial and societal obligations were deeply ingrained. The first listener’s request to bury his father reflects the Jewish custom of honoring parents, a duty enshrined in Torah and reinforced by societal expectations. Jesus’ response, 'Let the dead bury their own dead,' would have been jarring. The term 'dead' carries a double meaning: it refers not only to the physically dead but also to those spiritually dead, a concept familiar in Jewish apocalyptic thought. Jesus’ call to discipleship demands a radical reordering of priorities, even above sacred familial duties. The mention of foxes having dens and birds having nests underscores Jesus’ own itinerant lifestyle, contrasting with the stability expected in Greco-Roman and Jewish contexts. The final command to 'go and proclaim the kingdom of God' aligns with the urgency of Jesus’ mission, emphasizing that discipleship requires immediate and total commitment, even at the cost of social and familial ties.
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How other translations render this
LUK 9:57
- 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.”
- Koinōnos
- As they were going along the road, someone said to him: "I will follow you wherever you go.
LUK 9:58
- KJV
- And Jesus said unto him, Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.
- BSB
- Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay His head.”
- Koinōnos
- Jesus said to him: "The foxes have dens and the birds of the sky have nesting places, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.
LUK 9:59
- KJV
- And he said unto another, Follow me. But he said, Lord, suffer 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.”
- Koinōnos
- He said to another: "Follow me." But he said: "Lord, permit me first to go and bury my father.
LUK 9:60
- KJV
- Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God.
- BSB
- But Jesus told him, “Let the dead bury their own dead. You, however, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”
- Koinōnos
- He said to him: "Leave the dead to bury their own dead; but you — go and proclaim the kingdom of God.
LUK 9:61
- KJV
- And another also said, Lord, I will follow thee; but let me first go bid them farewell, which are at home at my house.
- BSB
- Still another said, “I will follow You, Lord; but first let me bid farewell to my family.”
- Koinōnos
- Another also said: "I will follow you, Lord, but first permit me to take leave of those at my house.
LUK 9:62
- KJV
- And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.
- BSB
- Then Jesus declared, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and then looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”
- Koinōnos
- Jesus said to him: "No one who puts his hand to the plow and keeps looking back is fit for the kingdom of God.
Only verses where the wording diverges meaningfully are shown. Identical phrasings are suppressed.
Translator's notes
LUK 9:58
- holes:The word translated 'holes' refers specifically to the lairs or dens of wild animals, often caves or burrows where they live and hibernate.
- nests;:The term used here for 'nests' implies a dwelling place or a place of encampment, suggesting a more permanent or established home than a simple nest.
LUK 9:60
- do leave:The phrase 'do leave' uses a word that literally means 'the dead ones.' Jesus is saying to let the spiritually dead bury the physically dead.
LUK 9:61
- to bid farewell:The word translated 'to bid farewell' also carried the sense of taking leave or renouncing something, implying a more decisive separation than a simple goodbye.