Luke 24:21 kjv
But we trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel: and beside all this, to day is the third day since these things were done.
Luke 24:21 nkjv
But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel. Indeed, besides all this, today is the third day since these things happened.
Luke 24:21 niv
but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. And what is more, it is the third day since all this took place.
Luke 24:21 esv
But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things happened.
Luke 24:21 nlt
We had hoped he was the Messiah who had come to rescue Israel. This all happened three days ago.
Luke 24 21 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Luke 24:20 | "...how our chief priests and our rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death, and crucified him." | Sets up their current understanding. |
| Luke 24:22-23 | "Moreover, some women from our company amazed us, by being at the tomb early in the morning..." | Contrasts their belief with the women's report. |
| John 12:16 | "His disciples did not understand these things at first..." | Points to prior lack of understanding. |
| Acts 1:6 | "So when they had come together, they asked him, 'Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?'" | Shows Israel's continued hope for earthly restoration. |
| Romans 10:11 | "For the Scripture says, 'Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.'" | Contrasts their shame with future faith. |
| 1 Corinthians 15:14 | "And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain." | Emphasizes the centrality of the resurrection. |
| 1 Corinthians 15:17 | "And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins." | Links their hope to the resurrection. |
| 1 Peter 1:3 | "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead..." | Links hope to resurrection. |
| Hebrews 11:1 | "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." | Defines hope based on unseen reality. |
| Isaiah 53:2-3 | "For he grew up before him like a young shoot, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by men..." | Foretells rejection and suffering. |
| Isaiah 49:7 | "Thus says the LORD, the Redeemer of Israel and his Holy One, to one who is despised, whom the nations abhor, to a servant of rulers: 'Kings shall see and arise; princes shall prostrate themselves..." | Prophesies ultimate vindication. |
| Psalms 22:6 | "But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by mankind and despised by the people." | Describes Messiah's suffering and rejection. |
| Luke 19:11 | "As they heard these things, he added and told them a parable, because he was near to Jerusalem, and because they supposed that the kingdom of God was to be manifested immediately." | Explains their expectation of an imminent earthly kingdom. |
| Acts 1:18-19 | "Now this man earned a bloody field by the reward of his wickedness, and falling headlong he burst open in the middle, and all his bowels gushed out. And it became known to all the dwellers in Jerusalem, so that in their own language that field was called Akeldama, that is, the Field of Blood. For it is written in the Book of Psalms, 'May his camp be deserted, and let there be no inhabitant to dwell in it'; and, 'Let another take his office.'" | Connects to betrayal and death, showing prior grief. |
| Deuteronomy 18:18 | "I will raise up for them a prophet from among their brothers, as you are, and I will put my words in his mouth..." | Foretells a prophet like Moses, hinting at messianic identity. |
| John 1:14 | "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us..." | The incarnation as a basis for hope. |
| John 3:16 | "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life." | God's ultimate act of love, fulfilled in Jesus. |
| Acts 2:24 | "But God raised him up, unlocking the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it." | Resurrection as overcoming death. |
| 1 Thessalonians 4:13-14 | "We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again..." | The believer's response to death in light of resurrection. |
| Zechariah 13:7 | "Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, against the man who stands next to me, declares the LORD of hosts. Strike the shepherd, and the sheep scattered; I will turn my hand against the little ones." | Foretells the shepherd being struck, leading to scattering. |
Luke 24 verses
Luke 24 21 Meaning
This verse highlights the ongoing despair and disappointment of the two disciples on the road to Emmaus concerning Jesus' crucifixion. Despite having been with Jesus, they still believed that the hope for Israel's redemption had died with him. Their hope was not rooted in the resurrection, which had not yet been revealed to them.
Luke 24 21 Context
The scene takes place on the road from Jerusalem to Emmaus, the same day as Jesus' resurrection. The two disciples, one named Cleopas, are walking and discussing the recent events of Jesus' crucifixion. They are filled with sadness and disillusionment because their expectation of Jesus being the one to redeem Israel has apparently ended with his death on the cross. They are recounting their own experiences and observations, still unable to grasp the full implications of what had transpired. Their conversation reflects a deep sense of loss and a misunderstanding of Jesus' purpose.
Luke 24 21 Word Analysis
- “our”: Possessive pronoun, emphasizing their personal involvement and collective identity as followers of Jesus.
- “hope”: Elpis (ἐλπίς) in Greek. Represents an expectation or trust in something future, not merely wishful thinking, but a confident anticipation based on what is known. For these disciples, this hope was tied to Jesus fulfilling the nationalistic, earthly prophecies about Israel's restoration.
- “of Israel”: Refers to the nation of Israel, signifying their specific expectation for political and spiritual liberation under a Messiah. This was a prevalent expectation in first-century Judea.
- “was”: Implies a past state, signifying that they believed this hope was now extinguished due to Jesus' death.
- “that”: A conjunction introducing a subordinate clause, connecting their belief about hope to its supposed finality.
- “he”: Pronoun referring to Jesus Christ.
- “was”: Past tense verb, continuing the idea of their current, incorrect understanding of Jesus' present status.
- “to redeem”: Lutroō (λυτρόω) in Greek, meaning to release by paying a ransom, to set free. It carries the sense of deliverance, often from bondage or oppression. In their context, this meant freeing Israel from Roman rule.
Luke 24 21 Bonus Section
The disciples' mindset is echoed in various passages throughout the Old Testament and New Testament that speak of a suffering servant followed by vindication. They focused on the immediate suffering and the apparent defeat, not on the subsequent triumph that scripture foretold. Their limited understanding underscores the need for a resurrection-centered perspective, which elevates hope beyond earthly circumstances to the eternal reality of Christ's victory over sin and death. This journey to Emmaus is a crucial narrative demonstrating the transition from a defeated mindset to one of confident hope through encountering the risen Christ and understanding the scriptures in light of his passion and resurrection.
Luke 24 21 Commentary
These disciples, despite walking with Jesus and witnessing his miracles, were still fundamentally misunderstanding his mission. Their hope was heavily nationalistic, focused on the political restoration of Israel, as expected from many Jewish leaders and common people of the time. They saw Jesus as a potential liberator, a Davidic king, who would overthrow their oppressors. His crucifixion shattered this specific hope, leading them to believe that all their expectations had died with him. Their journey is a powerful illustration of how pre-conceived notions can blind even those closest to Jesus from recognizing God’s true purposes, especially when those purposes involve suffering and death as pathways to victory. The fact that Jesus had to reveal himself to them emphasizes the need for divine revelation to truly understand his work and the hope that is found in his resurrection, not in earthly political salvation.