Luke 10:31 kjv
And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.
Luke 10:31 nkjv
Now by chance a certain priest came down that road. And when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.
Luke 10:31 niv
A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side.
Luke 10:31 esv
Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side.
Luke 10:31 nlt
"By chance a priest came along. But when he saw the man lying there, he crossed to the other side of the road and passed him by.
Luke 10 31 Cross References
Verse | Text | Reference |
---|---|---|
Exod 23:4-5 | "If you meet your enemy's ox or his donkey going astray, you shall... help." | Duty to help even one's enemy. |
Lev 19:18 | "You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge... but you shall love your neighbor as yourself." | Commandment to love one's neighbor. |
Lev 21:1 | "No one among you shall defile himself for any dead person among his relatives," | Priestly purity law: avoiding defilement. |
Num 19:11 | "Whoever touches a dead body of any person shall be unclean for seven days." | Purity law: touching a dead body. |
Deut 15:7-8 | "If among you, anyone is poor... you shall not harden your heart... but you shall freely open your hand." | Command to open hand to the needy. |
Isa 1:17 | "Learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless; plead the widow's cause." | Prophetic call for justice and mercy. |
Hos 6:6 | "For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings." | God's preference for mercy over ritual. |
Mic 6:8 | "He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?" | Summary of God's requirements, including kindness. |
Matt 9:13 | "Go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’" | Jesus quoting Hos 6:6 against Pharisees. |
Matt 12:7 | "If you had known what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the guiltless." | Jesus emphasizing mercy over rigid law. |
Matt 23:23 | "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill... and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice, mercy, and faithfulness." | Condemnation of religious leaders for hypocrisy. |
Mark 12:31 | "The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these." | Centrality of loving one's neighbor. |
Luke 6:36 | "Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful." | Command to reflect God's mercy. |
Luke 10:27 | "You shall love the Lord your God... and your neighbor as yourself." | The lawyer's own answer about inheriting life. |
Luke 10:32 | "So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place, and saw him, passed by on the other side." | Another religious leader failing to help. |
Luke 10:33 | "But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion." | Contrast with the Good Samaritan. |
Prov 3:27 | "Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to act." | Wisdom teaching: not to withhold help. |
Prov 24:11 | "Rescue those who are being led away to death; hold back those who are staggering to the slaughter." | Direct command to rescue the perishing. |
Rom 12:13 | "Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality." | Christian call to provide for needs. |
Gal 6:10 | "So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith." | Universal call to do good. |
Col 3:12 | "Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience," | Command to adopt virtues like compassion. |
Jas 2:15-16 | "If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed... what good is that?" | Faith without works is dead. |
1 Jn 3:17 | "But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him?" | Warning against withholding help. |
Luke 10 verses
Luke 10 31 Meaning
Luke 10:31 recounts the first character encountered by the critically injured man on the Jericho road in the Parable of the Good Samaritan. It states that "by chance" a priest came by, saw the wounded individual, and deliberately avoided him by crossing to the other side of the road. This act signifies a profound failure of compassion and duty, revealing a prioritizing of ceremonial purity or personal convenience over the desperate need of a suffering human being, despite his religious office and presumed knowledge of God's law.
Luke 10 31 Context
Luke 10:31 is part of the iconic Parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:30-37), which Jesus tells in response to a lawyer's question, "And who is my neighbor?" (Luke 10:29). This question followed Jesus's earlier interaction where the lawyer correctly identified loving God and neighbor as the path to eternal life (Luke 10:25-28). The parable critiques a narrow, self-serving definition of "neighbor" and instead promotes a radical, expansive understanding of active love and compassion.
The setting of the parable is the road from Jerusalem to Jericho. This dangerous 17-mile stretch, often referred to as "the Way of Blood," descended significantly, featuring rocky, winding passes that were notorious for ambushes by robbers. The priest and Levite, as figures of religious authority, were common travelers on this route, often commuting between the Jerusalem Temple, where they served in shifts, and their residences in towns like Jericho. Their encounter with the "half-dead" man occurs in a context of inherent danger, which might have played a role in their reluctance to help. Furthermore, Mosaic Law (Lev 21:1-4; Num 19:11-13) stipulated that priests were forbidden from defiling themselves by touching a dead body, as it would render them ritually unclean and temporarily unable to perform Temple duties. This likely fueled their rationalization for avoiding the man, who was teetering on the brink of death. The parable thus subtly, yet powerfully, exposes the shortcomings of religious observance when it takes precedence over practical human need and love.
Luke 10 31 Word analysis
- And by chance (Greek: τυγχάνω, tynchanō - to happen upon, to meet incidentally): This phrase emphasizes that the priest's encounter with the injured man was not premeditated but occurred by coincidence. It highlights the spontaneous nature of the moral test presented by the situation.
- a certain priest (Greek: ἱερεύς τις, hiereus tis - priest a certain one): "Priest" signifies a religious official of high standing, entrusted with Temple service, sacrifices, and teaching God's Law. His role demands exemplary righteousness and knowledge of sacred duties. "A certain" anonymizes him, making his failure representative of the general religious establishment rather than just one individual.
- came down that way (Greek: κατέβαινεν ἐν τῇ ὁδῷ ἐκείνῃ, katebainen en tē hodō ekeinē - was coming down on that road): "Came down" implies his descent from the higher elevation of Jerusalem towards Jericho. This signifies he was on a common route, potentially returning from or going to his priestly duties.
- and when he saw him (Greek: ἰδὼν αὐτόν, idōn auton - having seen him): This verb is a strong aorist participle, indicating a decisive act of perception. The priest did not miss or overlook the man; he actively and fully observed his distress. He was consciously aware of the suffering.
- he passed by (Greek: ἀντιπαρῆλθεν, antiparēlthen - passed by on the opposite side): This compound verb is highly significant. It means more than just walking past; it strongly implies intentional avoidance. It denotes a deliberate act of passing "opposite to" or "around" to maintain distance, emphasizing his active choice not to engage or help.
- on the other side (Greek: τοῦ ἑτέρου μέρους, tou heterou merous - to the other part/side): This phrase reinforces the priest's conscious decision to create maximal distance between himself and the suffering man, illustrating his complete disengagement and refusal to intervene.
Words-group by words-group analysis:
- "And by chance a certain priest came down that way:" This opening establishes the mundane reality of the encounter and identifies the first character by his significant religious office. The casualness implied by "by chance" sets up the stark moral choice that follows.
- "and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side:" This pivotal clause describes the priest's action (or inaction). The sequence of "seeing" and then "passing by on the other side" highlights a conscious, deliberate avoidance. Despite being a religious authority figure whose life was theoretically governed by God's Law of love and compassion, he prioritized his own concerns (e.g., ritual purity, personal safety, inconvenience) over the dire humanitarian need before him. This phrase perfectly encapsulates the central theme of spiritual emptiness concealed beneath outward religious conformity.
Luke 10 31 Bonus section
- Polemics against contemporary beliefs: The narrative implicitly challenges the narrow interpretation of "neighbor" prevalent among some Jewish religious leaders, which often excluded non-Jews or even marginalized members of their own society. It also directly confronts the perceived hierarchy of duties, suggesting that ceremonial purity, though important in specific contexts, could never supersede the fundamental divine imperative for compassion towards a fellow human in extreme distress.
- The lawyer's intent: The lawyer's initial question "who is my neighbor?" might have been intended to find boundaries and limitations, seeking to define precisely who he wasn't obligated to love. The priest's action, then, becomes a reflection of this bounded love, limiting compassion to exclude certain "unclean" or inconvenient situations. The parable shatters such boundaries.
- Dramatic tension: The priest's deliberate avoidance builds the dramatic tension of the parable, setting a pattern of failure among expected figures, which amplifies the radical goodness of the unexpected rescuer who follows.
Luke 10 31 Commentary
Luke 10:31 presents a shocking and deliberate anticlimax for Jesus's original audience. A priest, a figure of profound religious authority, sacred duty, and presumed spiritual leadership, is the first to encounter the robbed and critically wounded man. His actions stand in stark contrast to what the Mosaic Law he professed to uphold truly required (cf. Lev 19:18, Deut 15:7-8, Exod 23:4-5). While some historical commentaries suggest the priest's rationale might have been fear of ritual impurity if the man was dead or died while he was attending to him (Num 19; Lev 21), this passage clearly prioritizes practical mercy over ceremonial concerns. God desires "mercy, not sacrifice" (Hos 6:6), a principle Jesus repeatedly affirmed (Matt 9:13, 12:7). The priest's failure is not just an individual lapse but a profound critique of a religious system that had become legalistic and devoid of true compassionate action towards those in suffering, neglecting the "weightier matters of the law: justice, mercy, and faithfulness" (Matt 23:23). He saw, comprehended the dire need, and consciously chose to distance himself, revealing a chilling apathy and a tragic misalignment between outward piety and inner character.