Luke 20 44

Luke 20:44 kjv

David therefore calleth him Lord, how is he then his son?

Luke 20:44 nkjv

Therefore David calls Him 'Lord'; how is He then his Son?"

Luke 20:44 niv

David calls him 'Lord.' How then can he be his son?"

Luke 20:44 esv

David thus calls him Lord, so how is he his son?"

Luke 20:44 nlt

Since David called the Messiah 'Lord,' how can the Messiah be his son?"

Luke 20 verses

Luke 20 44 Meaning

This verse encapsulates a pivotal challenge Jesus posed to the religious authorities concerning the identity of the Messiah. By quoting Psa 110:1, Jesus highlights a profound paradox: David, inspired by the Holy Spirit, calls the Messiah his "Lord" (Kyrios), yet the Messiah is also conventionally understood to be David's biological "Son." Jesus implies that the Messiah cannot be merely a human descendant, but must possess a divine nature that transcends human lineage, establishing His pre-eminence and eternal authority over even His earthly ancestor. This question exposes the inadequacy of their purely human understanding of the Christ.

Luke 20 44 Context

Luke 20:44 is part of a series of confrontations between Jesus and the religious leaders (Pharisees, Sadducees, Scribes) in the Jerusalem temple, leading up to His crucifixion. After successfully rebuffing their attempts to trap Him with questions about His authority, taxes, and the resurrection, Jesus turns the tables by posing His own challenging question. This immediate context, Lk 20:41-44, presents Jesus interrogating their understanding of the Messiah, citing Psa 110:1. The broader context in Luke highlights Jesus' authority, wisdom, and the escalating tension with the Jewish leadership, who are unable to refute Him but instead seek to destroy Him. Historically, the Jewish people held a strong expectation for the Messiah to be a powerful, earthly king from the lineage of David, who would restore Israel's political independence. Jesus' question directly confronts this limited, human-centered view by implying a divine aspect of the Messiah's identity, revealing a fundamental misunderstanding among those who claimed to be experts in the Law and Prophets. It served as a polemic against their narrowly defined messianic theology and their inability to perceive the spiritual truth concerning God's unique Son.

Luke 20 44 Word analysis

• David (Δαυιδ - Dauid): Refers to King David, the revered patriarch and prophet through whom the promise of the Messiah's lineage was established (2 Sam 7:12-16). Jesus explicitly highlights David's testimony, lending significant weight to the quoted prophecy from Psa 110:1, as it comes from their own respected figure. This emphasizes David's inspired insight into the future Messiah.
• therefore (οὖν - oun): This is a particle indicating inference or consequence. It introduces a conclusion or a further development derived from the preceding statement (in Psa 110:1, the "Lord says to my Lord"). It signifies that David, speaking by inspiration, makes a logical yet profound declaration about the Messiah's identity.
• calls (λέγει - legei): Meaning "says" or "calls." It conveys that David, under divine inspiration, directly addressed or named the Messiah as "Lord." It's not just an observation, but an authoritative naming.
• Him (Αὐτὸν - Auton): Refers to the Messiah, the coming Anointed One. In the context of Psa 110:1, this "Him" is the "my Lord" (Adonai) addressed by the "Lord" (Yahweh).
• Lord (Κύριον - Kyrion): This is a highly significant term. While it can mean 'master' or 'sir,' in the Septuagint (Greek Old Testament), it is often used to translate both Adonai (Lord) and YHWH (the divine name, LORD). Here, in Psa 110:1, the original Hebrew uses YHWH (LORD) for the first Lord and Adonai (my Lord) for the second. By David calling his future descendant "Kyrios," a term of divine respect and authority usually reserved for God or someone profoundly superior, it suggests the Messiah's nature transcends mere human lineage. It signifies supreme authority, even divine authority, over David himself.
• and how (καὶ πῶς - kai pōs): "And how then?" or "So how is it?" This is an interrogative conjunction that introduces the paradoxical nature of the statement. It challenges the hearer to reconcile the two seemingly contradictory titles: "Lord" and "Son." It points to the divine mystery inherent in the Messiah's identity.
• is He (ἔστιν - estin): The simple present tense of "to be." It asks about the very essence or state of being.
• his Son (υἱὸς αὐτοῦ - huios autou): Meaning "his son," referring to a biological or genealogical descendant of David. This highlights the human aspect of the Messiah's identity—His true human lineage, especially as seen in genealogies (Matt 1; Lk 3). The paradox arises because a father would not normally call his own son "Lord" in such a sense of superior authority.

Words-Group Analysis

• "David therefore calls Him Lord": This phrase sets up the first part of the paradox, asserting that David, by prophetic inspiration, acknowledges the Messiah's divine authority and pre-eminence, seeing Him as more than a mere human descendant. It draws directly from the first part of Psa 110:1, emphasizing the Messiah's transcendent nature.
• "and how is He his Son?": This forms the second part of the paradox. If the Messiah is David's "Lord," a figure of superior authority, how can He simultaneously be David's "Son," a biological descendant usually of lesser standing? This question challenges the prevailing messianic expectation of a purely human, earthly king, pointing towards the need for a Messiah who is both truly God (Lord) and truly man (Son of David). It requires understanding the Messiah's dual nature: divine and human.

Luke 20 44 Bonus section

The "Davidic Son" (υἱὸς Δαυιδ) was a common Messianic title among the Jews, implying the Messiah would simply be a great king in the line of David. However, by asking this question, Jesus highlighted that the title "Son of David" alone was insufficient to fully describe the Messiah's divine nature. He corrected their limited view by showing that the Messiah's true identity transcends merely human kingship; He is also David's Kyrios, David's God, the eternally existing Son of God. This interaction reveals that true understanding of Scripture requires spiritual insight into the dual nature of the Messiah: both fully human (Son of David) and fully divine (David's Lord). It silenced the Scribes and Pharisees, not because they couldn't answer the literal question, but because the answer required acknowledging Jesus as both human Messiah and divine Lord, which contradicted their preconceived notions and pride.

Luke 20 44 Commentary

Luke 20:44 serves as a profound theological riddle posed by Jesus, aimed at the core of the religious leaders' misunderstanding of the Messiah. By referencing Psa 110:1, where David prophetically calls his own future descendant "Lord," Jesus forces them to confront the Messiah's divine nature. Their expectation was confined to a powerful human king from David's lineage, but Jesus implies that the Messiah must be greater than David himself, hence David calling Him "Lord." This underscores the Messiah's eternal, divine pre-existence and authority that predates and transcends His earthly Davidic lineage. It powerfully points to Jesus Christ as the Son of God, who is both Lord and the "Son of David" (man). The question was unanswerable for them because it exposed the limits of their humanistic interpretation of prophecy, preparing the ground for the radical truth of Jesus' true identity. The inability to reconcile this paradox kept them from acknowledging the true identity of Jesus, the very Messiah standing before them, fulfilling both aspects of the prophecy.