Luke 10 12

Luke 10:12 kjv

But I say unto you, that it shall be more tolerable in that day for Sodom, than for that city.

Luke 10:12 nkjv

But I say to you that it will be more tolerable in that Day for Sodom than for that city.

Luke 10:12 niv

I tell you, it will be more bearable on that day for Sodom than for that town.

Luke 10:12 esv

I tell you, it will be more bearable on that day for Sodom than for that town.

Luke 10:12 nlt

I assure you, even wicked Sodom will be better off than such a town on judgment day.

Luke 10 verses

Luke 10 12 Meaning

This verse delivers a solemn warning from Jesus, emphasizing the greater severity of judgment awaiting those towns that reject the message of the disciples, compared to the infamous cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. It underscores the profound responsibility that accompanies exposure to the divine truth, indicating that the refusal of Christ's kingdom message incurs a more dreadful accountability than even the vilest historical wickedness. The standard of judgment is elevated for those who have been given clearer light and a direct encounter with God's emissaries.

Luke 10 12 Context

Luke 10:12 is part of Jesus' specific instructions to the seventy (or seventy-two) disciples whom He sent out two-by-two ahead of Him to every town and place He intended to visit (Lk 10:1). Their mission was to proclaim the coming of the Kingdom of God and heal the sick (Lk 10:9). These instructions, similar to those given earlier to the Twelve (Lk 9:1-6), underscore the urgency and authority of their message. The context immediately before this verse (Lk 10:10-11) outlines the precise actions to be taken if a town rejects their message: to publicly shake the dust from their feet as a testimony against them. Verse 12 then articulates the dire consequence of such rejection, framing it in terms of a comparative judgment. This passage emphasizes that hearing the Gospel is not neutral; it always demands a response, and rejection of such a clear presentation of God's truth incurs a severer judgment than historical sins, no matter how egregious. It also hints at the Jewish polemic against a superficial sense of security based on lineage or adherence to the law, implying that privilege brings greater responsibility.

Luke 10 12 Word analysis

• "Indeed" (Gk. Plēn - πλὴν): This particle serves as a strong emphatic connector, introducing a significant and often surprising or weighty statement. It signifies a forceful assertion, translating closer to "Nevertheless" or "However, truly" here, emphasizing the contrast with the towns mentioned previously and highlighting the severity of what follows.
• "I tell you": A solemn declaration from Jesus, asserting divine authority and prophetic truth. This phrasing (legō hymin) is frequently used by Jesus to introduce critical and certain pronouncements concerning eternal matters, demanding immediate and serious attention.
• "it will be" (estai - ἔσται): Future indicative verb, conveying certainty and inevitability. The judgment spoken of is not hypothetical but a definite future event.
• "more tolerable" (anektoteron - ἀνεκτότερον): This is a comparative adjective, literally meaning "more endurable" or "more bearable." It does not imply that the judgment for Sodom will be pleasant or mild, but rather that, in comparison, the judgment for towns that reject the disciples' message will be even less tolerable, i.e., much harsher. This signifies a nuanced, not absolute, degree of punishment.
• "for Sodom": The city of Sodom is presented as the benchmark for extreme wickedness and catastrophic divine judgment. In Jewish tradition, its destruction (Gen 19) served as a supreme example of God's wrath against sin. By comparing other towns to Sodom, Jesus draws a stark image of their future plight.
• "in that day": Refers to "the day of judgment" as clarified in parallel passages (Mt 10:15). This eschatological phrase points to a future, decisive time of divine reckoning for all humanity, often synonymous with the end of the age or the Last Judgment, where all actions and responses to God will be weighed.
• "than for that town": This phrase clarifies the comparison, pinpointing the object of the "more tolerable" statement. The emphasis is on "that town" – any specific locality that directly encountered the gospel proclamation through Jesus' appointed messengers and willfully rejected it.

Words-group analysis

• "Indeed I tell you": This authoritative opening emphasizes the truthfulness and gravity of Jesus' warning. It is a direct, personal declaration of future judgment.
• "it will be more tolerable for Sodom in that day": This establishes the core theological principle of relative judgment. Despite Sodom's notoriety for sin and its historical destruction as a symbol of God's wrath, Jesus reveals that there are degrees of accountability based on the amount of light and truth received. Sodom was judged for its sin based on the light it had; these towns, however, rejected a greater light – the very presence and message of Christ through His emissaries.
• "than for that town": This forms the concluding part of the comparison, identifying the truly unfortunate ones. The towns in view are those in Galilee or Judea who heard the Kingdom message directly from Christ's disciples, witnessed His power, yet still refused to welcome His messengers or accept their message. Their culpability is elevated due to their proximity to and rejection of divine truth.

Luke 10 12 Bonus section

The teaching on "more tolerable" judgment implies varying degrees of accountability based on the revelation received. Those who have heard the Gospel, particularly from commissioned messengers, possess a heightened responsibility compared to those living under lesser degrees of truth. This aligns with the principle seen in Lk 12:48: "Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required." It underscores that God's judgment is perfectly just and proportionate. The solemn shaking off of dust (Lk 10:11) served not only as a physical sign of disassociation but also a legalistic act, leaving the judgment of the rejecting town directly in the hands of God for the "Day of Judgment." The Jewish expectation was that Gentiles like Sodom would face the harshest judgment, but Jesus flips this expectation, placing those with the greatest spiritual privilege who reject Him in a more precarious position.

Luke 10 12 Commentary

Luke 10:12 powerfully reveals the gravity of rejecting God's messenger and, by extension, God's message itself. Jesus presents a radical theological truth: a community's response to the Gospel carries more eternal weight than even the historical sins of Sodom. Sodom, infamous for its profound depravity and cataclysmic judgment, stands as a biblical emblem of divine wrath. Yet, Jesus asserts that the judgment awaiting towns that heard and spurned His Kingdom proclamation will be comparatively worse. This isn't about mitigating Sodom's sin, but about intensifying the accountability for those who witnessed divine truth and signs through Christ's seventy emissaries, yet chose unbelief. Their heightened culpability stems from having been afforded a direct encounter with God's redeeming purpose and rejecting it. The "Day of Judgment" will recognize not just the nature of sin, but the measure of revealed truth against which one has rebelled. This underscores that hearing the Good News is not neutral; it places one under an even greater moral obligation and, if refused, subject to a more severe reckoning. It serves as a stern warning against spiritual indifference and emphasizes the preciousness and finality of God's gracious invitation through His heralds.