Luke 18:34 kjv
And they understood none of these things: and this saying was hid from them, neither knew they the things which were spoken.
Luke 18:34 nkjv
But they understood none of these things; this saying was hidden from them, and they did not know the things which were spoken.
Luke 18:34 niv
The disciples did not understand any of this. Its meaning was hidden from them, and they did not know what he was talking about.
Luke 18:34 esv
But they understood none of these things. This saying was hidden from them, and they did not grasp what was said.
Luke 18:34 nlt
But they didn't understand any of this. The significance of his words was hidden from them, and they failed to grasp what he was talking about.
Luke 18 34 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Lk 9:45 | But they understood none of these things; and the saying was hidden from them... | Similar incomprehension earlier in Luke's Gospel. |
| Mk 9:32 | But they did not understand the saying, and were afraid to ask him. | Mark's parallel account of disciples' lack of understanding. |
| Jn 12:16 | His disciples did not understand these things at first... | John's Gospel also notes initial incomprehension regarding Jesus' actions. |
| Lk 24:44-45 | Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures. | The post-resurrection divine opening of their understanding. |
| Lk 9:22 | The Son of Man must suffer many things... be killed, and on the third day be raised. | Earlier, less detailed passion prediction. |
| Lk 18:31-33 | Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem... Son of Man will be delivered over... mocked... scourged... killed... third day rise. | The direct preceding prophecy, explicitly detailed. |
| Isa 6:9-10 | Go, and say to this people: Keep on hearing, but do not understand... Make the heart of this people dull... | Old Testament prophecy of spiritual blindness, referenced in NT. |
| Matt 13:10-15 | This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see... | Jesus' explanation for parabolic teaching and spiritual blindness. |
| Rom 11:7-8 | ...the elect obtained it, but the rest were hardened... | Divine hardening of hearts as part of God's plan. |
| 2 Cor 3:14-16 | But their minds were hardened... until this day, when Moses is read, a veil lies over their heart. | Veiling of understanding due to spiritual hardening. |
| Acts 16:14 | The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul. | An example of the Lord supernaturally opening understanding. |
| Eph 1:17-19 | ...that God... may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened. | Prayer for spiritual enlightenment and understanding. |
| 1 Cor 2:14 | The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God... they are spiritually discerned. | Explains why natural minds cannot grasp spiritual truths without the Spirit. |
| Jn 20:9 | For as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that he must rise from the dead. | Even after finding the empty tomb, they hadn't fully grasped the resurrection. |
| Dan 12:9-10 | And he said, "Go your way, Daniel, for the words are shut up and sealed until the time of the end... none of the wicked shall understand..." | Prophecies hidden until their appointed time and understood by the wise. |
| Isa 53:7-8 | He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth... | Old Testament prophecy of the suffering servant, a truth difficult for many to accept. |
| Ps 22:6-8 | But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by mankind and despised by the people. | Prophetic description of the Messiah's suffering. |
| Lk 24:25-27 | O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer...? | Jesus rebukes the disciples for their slowness to understand the Old Testament prophecies of His suffering. |
| Matt 16:21-23 | From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things... Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him... | Peter's reaction showing how contrary the suffering Messiah concept was to their expectations. |
| Mk 10:32-34 | They were on the road... Jesus was walking ahead... again He began to tell them what was to happen... | Mark's detailed account of this specific journey and passion prediction. |
| Col 1:26-27 | The mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints. | The concept of previously hidden divine truths now revealed. |
| Jer 5:21 | Hear this, you foolish and senseless people, who have eyes but do not see, who have ears but do not hear. | Prophetic warning about spiritual insensitivity. |
Luke 18 verses
Luke 18 34 Meaning
Luke 18:34 reveals the profound incomprehension of Jesus' disciples regarding His clearest prediction yet of His impending suffering, death, and resurrection. Despite His direct and detailed prophecy, their minds were spiritually veiled from grasping the true meaning of His words, particularly concerning a suffering Messiah. Their expectations of a conquering kingdom and worldly glory overshadowed their ability to discern the spiritual truth of His sacrificial mission and eventual triumph over death.
Luke 18 34 Context
Luke 18:34 is situated immediately after Jesus' third and most explicit prophecy of His passion to His disciples (Luke 18:31-33). He outlines His impending journey to Jerusalem, His betrayal into the hands of Gentiles, mockery, scourging, crucifixion, and resurrection on the third day. This detailed pronouncement follows incidents such as the rich young ruler and Peter's discussion about discipleship, underscoring that Jesus' true path involved self-sacrificial service, not just the establishment of an earthly kingdom. Historically and culturally, the Jewish people widely anticipated a glorious, conquering Messiah who would liberate them from Roman oppression and restore Israel's national sovereignty, echoing prophecies of a kingly Messiah (e.g., Isa 9:6-7, Zech 9:9). The concept of a Messiah who would suffer, die, and rise was largely incomprehensible and contrary to prevalent expectations. The disciples, despite being privy to Jesus' teaching and miracles, shared in this prevailing Messianic misunderstanding, seeing only what aligned with their preconceived notions of earthly glory.
Luke 18 34 Word analysis
- But (Greek: De): A conjunction indicating a contrast. Here, it contrasts Jesus' clear, detailed prophecy with the disciples' absolute lack of understanding. It signals a shift from declaration to observation.
- they (Greek: Autoi): Refers directly to the twelve disciples, whom Jesus had just drawn aside (Luke 18:31). This emphasizes that even those closest to Jesus failed to grasp this fundamental truth.
- understood (Greek: Suniekan, from Syniēmi): Means "to bring together," "to perceive," "to comprehend" by connecting disparate parts into a whole. The negative "none" (ouden) emphasizes a total failure to grasp the significance or implications. Their conceptual framework prevented integration of this new data.
- none of these things (Greek: Ouden toutōn): Refers precisely to the entire preceding prophecy (Luke 18:31-33). It was not just one word, but the entire core message of His passion that eluded them. This highlights the specificity and clarity of Jesus' previous statements and their subsequent mental block.
- and (Greek: Kai): Connective, indicating an additional, complementary reason for their lack of understanding.
- this saying (Greek: To rhēma touto): Rhēma signifies a "spoken word" or "utterance." It focuses specifically on the content of Jesus' recent speech, not just a general idea. Its use alongside toutōn reinforces the precise nature of what was not understood.
- was hidden from them (Greek: En kekrymmenon ap’ autōn, from Kryptō): This phrase, a passive perfect participle, is crucial. It means "it was concealed," "kept secret," or "veiled from them." The passive voice implies an external agent doing the hiding, strongly suggesting divine providential concealment, rather than mere human dullness. God allowed or intended for this truth to be hidden until the opportune moment of the resurrection (cf. Lk 24:45).
- and they did not grasp (Greek: Kai ouk eginōskon, from Ginōskō): Ginōskō means "to know" by experience, deep personal acquaintance, or a full, insightful recognition, moving beyond mere intellectual comprehension. The imperfect tense ("were not knowing/grasping") suggests a continuous state of incomprehension. This re-emphasizes their deep-seated inability, complementing syniēmi by adding the aspect of experiential or intuitive knowledge.
- what was said (Greek: Ta legomena): The passive present participle "the things being said." This again refers to Jesus' very recent words. This repetition emphasizes the immediate, ongoing communication that simply wasn't registering.
- "But they understood none of these things; and this saying was hidden from them": This phrase highlights a double-barreled reason for their failure to comprehend. Firstly, a failure of their own conceptual ability (they couldn't "understand"). Secondly, a divine spiritual reality (the saying "was hidden from them"). This suggests their human limitation met with divine providence, which veiled the truth for a time.
- "and they did not grasp what was said": This concluding phrase provides a fuller and perhaps more emphatic statement of their complete incomprehension. It reiterates the point, using a different Greek word for "knowing/grasping" (ginōskō), implying a lack of profound, internal assimilation, not just surface-level understanding. Their minds simply could not accommodate the idea of a suffering Messiah, making the words functionally unheard.
Luke 18 34 Bonus section
The concept of "hiddenness" in this verse, specifically "it was hidden from them," points to an act of divine sovereignty. It's not merely that the disciples were intellectually dense; God had a purpose in allowing them not to fully grasp it until after the resurrection. This divinely orchestrated timing aligns with other instances in Scripture where profound truths are unveiled only at God's appointed time or through a supernatural opening of understanding. The shock and surprise of the resurrection were, in part, facilitated by this prior lack of full comprehension. This further emphasizes that spiritual discernment is a gift of God, not merely a human achievement.
Luke 18 34 Commentary
Luke 18:34 underscores a pivotal paradox in Jesus' ministry: the profound clarity of His prophetic words juxtaposed with the absolute blindness of His closest disciples. Despite Jesus detailing His impending suffering, death, and resurrection with unprecedented precision, the disciples simply could not integrate this truth. This failure was not due to a lack of intelligence but a spiritual inability rooted in their entrenched Jewish Messianic expectations of a conquering king, not a crucified one. The statement "this saying was hidden from them" is crucial; it points to a divine veiling or purposeful delay in their comprehension, perhaps to prevent premature understanding or to allow God's plan to unfold precisely. This veiled understanding served a divine purpose, for their minds would later be supernaturally "opened" by the risen Christ, enabling them to understand the prophecies (Luke 24:45). Their inability highlights that spiritual truths often require more than intellectual assent; they demand spiritual revelation, demonstrating humanity's dependence on God for genuine insight.