Luke 24 21

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 verses

Luke 24 21 Meaning

Luke 24:21 profoundly expresses the deep despair and shattered expectations of the disciples on the road to Emmaus following Jesus' crucifixion. Their statement reveals a conventional understanding of the Messiah as a political deliverer who would liberate Israel from Roman occupation. They had placed all their hope in Jesus fulfilling this role, and His death completely demolished that vision. The mention of "the third day" further underscores their hopelessness, as this divinely significant timeframe, prophesied for resurrection, remains unrecognized and simply marks the passage of time since their expectations were crushed, intensifying their sorrow and confusion.

Luke 24 21 Context

Luke 24:21 is spoken by one of the two disciples on the road to Emmaus, following the devastating events of Jesus' crucifixion. This moment occurs on the third day after Jesus' death, Sunday, the very day of His resurrection, though the disciples remain entirely unaware. They are leaving Jerusalem, physically distancing themselves from the site of their shattered dreams, their hearts burdened with grief and disappointment. Jesus, unrecognized by them, joins their journey and listens to their lament. The wider narrative in Luke has previously detailed various expectations for a Messiah, often focusing on national deliverance, a popular Jewish belief in their current Roman-occupied land. This verse thus captures a poignant moment of spiritual blindness and despair, as they reflect on a seemingly failed Messiah, even as the ultimate triumph over death has already occurred around them.

Luke 24 21 Word analysis

• But (ἀλλά - alla): A strong adversative conjunction, indicating a sharp contrast or a reversal of expectations. Here, it introduces the primary point of disappointment, signaling that what was hoped for is now juxtaposed with their grim reality.
• we were hoping (ἠλπίζομεν - ēlpizomen): Imperfect active indicative, denoting an ongoing hope or expectation that existed in the past but is now considered terminated or unfulfilled. It can be translated "we had hoped," emphasizing that this hope has since been dashed. This highlights the deep emotional investment and subsequent crushing of their aspirations.
• that he was (αὐτός ἐστιν - autos estin): "He himself is/was." The use of autos before estin (is/was) makes it emphatic, "He was the one," underscoring their conviction that Jesus uniquely fit their Messianic ideal.
• the one who was going to redeem (ὁ μέλλων λυτροῦσθαι - ho mellōn lytrousthai): This phrase describes Jesus as "the one who was about to redeem."
  • ho mellōn: "The one about to," or "the one destined to." It expresses immediate future or definite intention.
  • lytrousthai (λύτροῦσθαι): A deponent verb meaning "to redeem," "to ransom," or "to deliver by payment." In the Septuagint (Greek OT), this term frequently describes God's deliverance of Israel from Egypt (Ex 6:6, Deut 7:8) or from captivity (Ps 130:8). It carries strong connotations of liberation and emancipation, particularly in a political sense, especially among first-century Jews seeking release from Roman domination.
• Israel (τὸν Ἰσραήλ - ton Israēl): Refers to the nation of Israel, the covenant people of God. The disciples' hope was for national restoration and political sovereignty.
• Indeed, besides all this, (ἀλλὰ καί - alla kai): This emphatic phrase can mean "but also," "and furthermore," or "but even so." It adds an additional layer of disappointment, implying that not only did their primary hope fail, but the passage of time without any sign of resolution has further solidified their despair. It indicates accumulated distress, not merely an initial dashed hope.
• it is now the third day (τρίτην ταύτην ἡμέραν - tritēn tautēn hēmeran): Directly states the precise timing since Jesus' crucifixion. The number "three" carries immense biblical significance, frequently associated with divine action, prophetic fulfillment, and particularly resurrection (e.g., Jon 1:17; Hos 6:2). Ironically, this crucial "third day" marks the resurrection day, which the disciples, consumed by grief and conventional understanding, fail to perceive as the very climax of their redemption, misunderstanding its true import.
• since these things happened (ἀφ' οὗ ταῦτα ἐγένετο - aph' hou tauta egeneto): Refers to the entire sequence of events leading to Jesus' death, particularly the crucifixion and the scattering of the disciples. It marks the chronological starting point for their period of disillusionment.

Words-group by words-group analysis:

• "But we were hoping that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel.": This phrase encapsulates the core of the disciples' political and nationalistic Messianic expectation. Their hope was rooted in a deliverer who would effect temporal, political liberation from oppression, rather than spiritual redemption from sin. Their disappointment stems from Jesus' failure, as they perceived it, to meet these specific earthly criteria.
• "Indeed, besides all this, it is now the third day since these things happened.": This part intensifies the sense of despair. Not only had their hope for a political Messiah been crushed, but the passing of three days without resolution further cemented their belief that all was lost. This is profoundly ironic, as "the third day" was the very day prophesied for Christ's triumph over death, which was essential for true redemption to occur. The disciples' grief was so profound that they were blind to the very signs and prophecies they should have known.

Luke 24 21 Bonus section

The profound spiritual blindness of these disciples (and others, as seen in Acts 1:6) highlights a critical theme in the Gospel of Luke: the human struggle to comprehend God's divine plan when it deviates from preconceived notions. Even after witnessing Jesus' miracles and hearing His teachings, their understanding was still limited by a prevailing worldview of political liberation. This verse acts as a bridge from the disillusionment of the post-crucifixion period to the dawning comprehension of the resurrection. It powerfully illustrates how even genuine, albeit flawed, faith can be utterly devastated by circumstances if not grounded in God's specific revelation. Their hope was sincere, but its foundation on a misunderstanding of redemption left them vulnerable to despair. This narrative offers encouragement that even deeply entrenched misunderstandings can be corrected by Christ's gentle revelation of the Scriptures and His own person.

Luke 24 21 Commentary

Luke 24:21 serves as a pivotal moment of dramatic irony, portraying the disciples' profound despair just as the greatest triumph of God's redemptive plan has unfolded. Their "hope" (ἠλπίζομεν) was correct in who Jesus was – the promised redeemer – but entirely misguided in how and what He would redeem. They envisioned a Messiah of political might, one who would leverage worldly power to liberate Israel from Roman oppression, reflecting a common first-century Jewish expectation rooted in figures like Moses and the Judges. Their understanding of "redeem" (λυτροῦσθαι) was thus confined to socio-political deliverance rather than spiritual liberation from sin and death, which Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection truly achieved.

The crushing blow of the cross transformed their active, ongoing hope into a past, failed expectation ("we had hoped"). Their mention of "the third day" is saturated with tragic irony. This was not merely a random timeframe, but the precise period repeatedly prophesied by Jesus Himself and foreshadowed in the Old Testament as the day of His resurrection (Lk 9:22, Hos 6:2, Jon 1:17, 1 Cor 15:4). Yet, blinded by their grief and earthly paradigm, they see the "third day" not as the dawn of their true hope's fulfillment, but as a confirmation of their utter despondency. The phrase "indeed, besides all this" underscores an accumulating sense of defeat – not only did the Messiah die, but the critical time window for any anticipated intervention has now seemingly closed. This human blindness sets the stage perfectly for Jesus, unrecognized among them, to open the Scriptures and re-educate them on the true nature of the Messiah's suffering and glorious redemption, transforming their despair into fervent joy.