Luke 24:16 kjv
But their eyes were holden that they should not know him.
Luke 24:16 nkjv
But their eyes were restrained, so that they did not know Him.
Luke 24:16 niv
but they were kept from recognizing him.
Luke 24:16 esv
But their eyes were kept from recognizing him.
Luke 24:16 nlt
But God kept them from recognizing him.
Luke 24 16 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Lk 24:31 | "Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him; and he vanished..." | Divine removal of the veil for recognition |
| Mk 16:12 | "He appeared in another form to two of them as they were walking..." | Jesus' altered, unrecognizable appearance |
| Jn 20:14-15 | "She turned around and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know..." | Mary Magdalene's initial non-recognition of Jesus |
| Jn 21:4 | "Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus" | Disciples on the Sea of Tiberias initially did not know |
| Mt 28:17 | "And when they saw him, they worshiped him, but some doubted." | Varied or partial recognition among disciples |
| Jn 20:20 | "He showed them his hands and his side." | Recognition through identifying marks |
| Jn 20:26-29 | "Then he said to Thomas, 'Put your finger here... Believe!'" | Thomas's physical proof leading to belief |
| 2 Cor 3:14 | "Their minds were blinded. For until this day the same veil remains..." | Spiritual blindness in understanding covenant |
| 2 Cor 4:3-4 | "If our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing... blinded by the god of this age." | Spiritual blindness hindering gospel reception |
| Rom 11:7-8 | "What Israel sought... did not obtain... God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes that would not see..." | Divine veiling/hardening as part of God's plan |
| Isa 6:9-10 | "Go, and say to this people: 'Keep on hearing, but do not understand... Shut their eyes...'" | Prophecy of spiritual dullness/veiling by God |
| Ps 119:18 | "Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law." | Prayer for divine illumination/spiritual sight |
| Eph 1:18 | "Having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know..." | Prayer for spiritual enlightenment and knowledge |
| Lk 24:25-27 | "O foolish ones... He interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself." | Understanding achieved through Scripture's explanation |
| Acts 2:24-36 | Peter explains Christ's resurrection by quoting OT scriptures. | Scripture as the key to understanding Christ |
| 1 Cor 15:3-4 | "Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures... raised... in accordance with the Scriptures." | Resurrection understood through prophetic fulfillment |
| Lk 9:45 | "But they did not understand this saying, and it was concealed from them..." | Prior divine concealment of Jesus' teaching |
| Lk 18:34 | "But they understood none of these things... This saying was hidden..." | Prior divine concealment of resurrection prophecies |
| Jn 16:12-13 | "I still have many things to say... but the Spirit of truth... will guide you into all truth." | Holy Spirit's role in future revelation |
| 1 Jn 2:27 | "His anointing teaches you about everything, and is true..." | Holy Spirit as the true teacher and revealer |
| Jer 29:13 | "You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart." | Conditional promise of divine recognition/presence |
| Lam 3:8 | "Though I call and cry for help, he shuts out my prayer." | Temporary divine hiddenness/unresponsiveness |
| 1 Cor 13:12 | "For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face." | Partial knowledge now vs. full knowledge in glory |
| Matt 16:17 | "Flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven." | Divine revelation for true understanding of Christ |
| Prov 20:24 | "A man’s steps are from the LORD; how then can man understand his way?" | God's sovereign hand in human perception/direction |
Luke 24 verses
Luke 24 16 Meaning
Luke 24:16 states that the two disciples traveling on the road to Emmaus were supernaturally prevented from recognizing Jesus, even as He walked and convers conversed with them. This divine intervention actively obscured their perception, despite His physical presence, signaling a purposeful delay in revelation beyond their immediate comprehension.
Luke 24 16 Context
Luke 24:16 takes place on the same day as Jesus' resurrection. The chapter opens with women discovering the empty tomb, hearing angelic pronouncements, and reporting to the disciples, who largely disbelieve them. Cleopas and his unnamed companion, downcast and perplexed, are journeying from Jerusalem to Emmaus (about seven miles away) while discussing the bewildering events of Jesus' crucifixion and the women's strange account. Jesus then draws near and walks with them, joining their conversation, setting the stage for the pivotal moment where their spiritual understanding will be prepared through Scripture before His physical identity is revealed.
Luke 24 16 Word analysis
- "But" (Δὲ, De): This Greek conjunction introduces a contrasting element. Here, it highlights the striking paradox: Jesus was physically present with the disciples, yet they failed to recognize Him, indicating a divine hand at work against their natural perception.
- "their eyes" (οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ αὐτῶν, hoi ophthalmoi autōn): This refers primarily to their physical organs of sight. However, in biblical thought, "eyes" frequently denote not just physical vision but also spiritual understanding and discernment. In this context, both levels were supernaturally impacted.
- "were kept" / "were restrained" (ἐκρατοῦντο, ekratounto): This crucial verb is the imperfect passive of
κρατέω (krateō).Krateōmeans "to take hold of, seize, grip, or hold back." The passive voiceἐκρατοῦντοunmistakably indicates an external agent actively restraining or holding back their vision. The imperfect tense suggests an ongoing state of being held back during their encounter, implying a sustained divine action rather than a momentary incident. This points to a deliberate intervention by God, not simply their own natural blindness or an altered physical appearance of Jesus (though Mark 16:12 mentions His appearing in "another form"). - "from recognizing Him" / "so that they might not know Him" (τοῦ μὴ ἐπιγνῶναι αὐτόν, tou mē epigōnāi auton):
- "from recognizing" / "know" (ἐπιγνῶναι, epignōnai): This is the aorist infinitive of
ἐπιγινώσκω (epiginōskō). This verb denotes a profound, accurate, and complete knowledge or recognition, a thorough identification. It is stronger thanγινώσκω (ginōskō), suggesting that they were prevented from truly and fully comprehending His identity, not merely having a casual acquaintance. - "Him" (αὐτόν, auton): Refers directly to Jesus Christ, the risen Lord.
- "from recognizing" / "know" (ἐπιγνῶναι, epignōnai): This is the aorist infinitive of
- Words-group: "their eyes were kept from recognizing Him": This phrase directly communicates that the inability of the disciples to recognize Jesus was not accidental, nor solely due to their own sorrow or His possibly altered appearance. It was an active, divinely orchestrated concealment, a supernatural restraint placed upon their faculty of sight and understanding, serving a specific pedagogical purpose within God's redemptive plan.
Luke 24 16 Bonus section
The episode on the Emmaus road with the veiled recognition highlights the mysterious nature of Jesus' post-resurrection body. It possessed continuity with His pre-crucifixion body (allowing for physical interaction and recognition by others later), yet also displayed an altered or spiritualized dimension (allowing for concealed identity, sudden appearances, and disappearances). This veiled state served not only as a temporary instructional tool but also prefigures the glorious, transformed nature of the resurrected. Additionally, some scholars posit that the disciples' internal frame of mind, specifically their deeply entrenched expectations of a conquering Messiah and their despair over His crucifixion, likely contributed to their lack of readiness to identify Jesus. This internal spiritual 'blindness' or despondency, combined with the divine restraint, formed a powerful barrier until Jesus systematically re-oriented their understanding to the scriptural narrative of a suffering yet victorious Messiah. This sequence emphasizes the importance of a heart prepared by God's Word to fully discern Christ's identity and mission.
Luke 24 16 Commentary
Luke 24:16 profoundly illustrates that perceiving the resurrected Christ, and indeed understanding God's spiritual truths, ultimately hinges on divine initiative rather than human effort alone. The deliberate "holding back" of the disciples' recognition served a critical purpose: to compel them to listen intently as Jesus explained His suffering and resurrection through the Old Testament Scriptures (Lk 24:25-27). This narrative arc prioritizes the interpretation of the divine Word as the foundation for true recognition of the Messiah, setting a precedent that understanding and faith in the risen Christ must be rooted in prophetic fulfillment, not solely immediate sensory experience. Their physical sight was veiled so that their spiritual sight, informed by Scripture, could truly open. This teaches that even when physically close to truth, without God's enablement, genuine recognition can remain elusive.
- Example 1: Like the Emmaus disciples, sometimes believers engage with the Bible or prayer (Christ's presence) but struggle to connect its truth to their lives until God's Spirit opens their understanding.
- Example 2: People can observe Christian life and deeds but fail to recognize Christ's work in it, needing the Holy Spirit to reveal the spiritual reality.