Luke 6:37 kjv
Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven:
Luke 6:37 nkjv
"Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.
Luke 6:37 niv
"Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.
Luke 6:37 esv
"Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven;
Luke 6:37 nlt
"Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn others, or it will all come back against you. Forgive others, and you will be forgiven.
Luke 6 37 Cross References
Verse | Text | Reference |
---|---|---|
Matt 7:1-2 | "Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged..." | Direct parallel to Lk 6:37; reciprocal judgment. |
Matt 6:14-15 | "For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you..." | Direct parallel on conditional forgiveness. |
Jas 2:13 | "For judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful..." | Mercy triumphs over judgment, divine reciprocity. |
Rom 14:10 | "...why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or why do you despise your brother? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God..." | Only God is the ultimate Judge of His servants. |
Rom 14:13 | "Therefore let us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block..." | Avoid judgmental attitudes; focus on not causing others to stumble. |
1 Cor 4:5 | "Therefore do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the Lord comes..." | Refrain from premature judgment; God will reveal hearts. |
Gal 6:7 | "Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap." | General principle of divine reciprocity/sowing and reaping. |
Psa 18:25-26 | "With the merciful you show yourself merciful; with the blameless man you show yourself blameless..." | God responds in kind to how we treat others. |
Prov 11:17 | "The merciful man does himself good, but the cruel man does himself harm." | Benefits of mercy; detrimental nature of cruelty. |
Matt 5:7 | "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy." | A beatitude affirming the blessedness of mercy and its reward. |
Col 3:13 | "bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other..." | Exhortation to mutual forbearance and forgiveness. |
Eph 4:32 | "Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you." | Emulates God's forgiveness as a motive for forgiving others. |
Mk 11:25 | "And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses." | Forgiveness of others linked to receiving forgiveness in prayer. |
Lk 17:3-4 | "If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him..." | Command to forgive repeatedly when there is repentance. |
1 Pet 4:8 | "Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins." | Love promotes forgiveness and overlooks faults. |
Jud 1:9 | "...Michael, contending with the devil...did not presume to pronounce a blasphemous judgment but said, 'The Lord rebuke you!'" | An example of deferring judgment to God even against the devil. |
Rom 2:1 | "Therefore you have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges...you condemn yourself, because you who judge practice the very same things." | Hypocritical judgment condemns the one who judges. |
Jas 4:11-12 | "Do not speak evil against one another, brothers...Who are you to judge your neighbor?" | Usurping God's role as lawgiver and judge. |
Deut 32:35 | "Vengeance is mine, and recompense..." | God claims ultimate authority over judgment and vengeance. |
Heb 10:30 | "For we know him who said, 'Vengeance is mine; I will repay,' and again, 'The Lord will judge his people.'" | God is the ultimate judge, reiterating Old Testament principle. |
1 Jn 4:11 | "Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another." | Motivation for mutual love and forgiveness from God's example. |
Prov 10:12 | "Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all offenses." | Love, not judgment, resolves conflict and fosters reconciliation. |
Matt 18:35 | "So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart." | Warning about the consequence of unforgiveness from the heart. |
Luke 6 verses
Luke 6 37 Meaning
Luke 6:37 delivers a core teaching from Jesus, establishing a divine principle of reciprocity in how individuals interact with others, particularly regarding judgment, condemnation, and forgiveness. It signifies that the measure of grace and mercy shown to others will be the measure by which one receives grace and mercy from God. It is a profound call for disciples to embody a spirit of non-judgmental love and proactive forgiveness, mirroring the character of God. The verse promises that refraining from judgment and condemnation ensures one will not face such from God, and actively forgiving others guarantees receiving divine forgiveness.
Luke 6 37 Context
Luke 6:37 is a pivotal part of Jesus' "Sermon on the Plain" (Lk 6:20-49), a discourse that parallels Matthew's Sermon on the Mount. This section follows Jesus' radical teachings on love for enemies (Lk 6:27-36), advocating for an ethic of counter-cultural love that extends to those who despite you, blesses those who curse you, and is generous without expectation of return. Verse 37 introduces a related principle concerning judgment and forgiveness, further outlining the character of a true disciple of Jesus. It flows into Jesus' subsequent instruction about giving (Lk 6:38) and the parable of the blind leading the blind, and the speck and the log (Lk 6:39-42), which serves as a powerful illustration of the hypocrisy inherent in judgmental attitudes. Historically and culturally, this teaching directly challenged the prevalent judgmentalism among certain religious groups in Jesus' time, who meticulously adhered to external laws while often lacking internal mercy. Jesus' teaching calls His followers to reflect God's own character of boundless mercy and graciousness, not merely external adherence to rules.
Luke 6 37 Word analysis
Judge not (Greek: κρίνετε, krinete): The word krinete here is an imperative, a direct command. In this context, it prohibits the act of harsh, critical, censorious, and often hypocritical judgment of another's character, motives, or spiritual standing before God. It does not forbid discerning right from wrong or exercising proper church discipline (as elsewhere taught in Scripture, e.g., 1 Cor 5:12-13). Instead, it targets a spirit of self-righteous condemnation and a tendency to usurp God's role as the ultimate judge. The emphasis is on an internal attitude rather than a necessary discernment of actions.
and you will not be judged (Greek: οὐ μὴ κριθῆτε, ou mē krithēte): The phrase ou mē is the strongest negative particle in Greek, meaning "by no means" or "absolutely not." This signifies an emphatic and certain outcome. The verb "be judged" is in the passive voice (divine passive), implying that the judgment withheld is ultimately God's. It's a divine promise based on human conduct.
condemn not (Greek: καταδικάζετε, katadikazete): This is a stronger term than krinete. Katadikazete means "to pronounce a sentence against," "to find guilty," or "to condemn legally." It goes beyond merely judging to an official, definitive, and damning verdict. Jesus is warning against reaching final and irreversible negative verdicts on others, particularly those that presume divine authority.
and you will not be condemned (Greek: οὐ μὴ καταδικασθῆτε, ou mē katadikasthēte): Again, the emphatic double negative ou mē highlights the certainty of God's response. The divine passive indicates that God will refrain from pronouncing a final verdict of guilt against those who extend grace.
forgive (Greek: ἀπολύετε, apolyete): The imperative apolyete means "to release," "to dismiss," "to set free," or "to acquit." In this moral and spiritual context, it signifies a release from blame, debt, or an offense. It's an active command to pardon or grant absolution, a crucial component of the Kingdom ethic. It is an active outpouring of grace, beyond merely refraining from negative actions.
and you will be forgiven (Greek: καὶ ἀπολυθήσεσθε, kai apolythēsesthe): The promise here again implies divine action. By actively forgiving others, disciples position themselves to receive forgiveness from God for their own trespasses. This underscores a foundational principle of the Christian life: the grace we extend is linked to the grace we receive.
Words-group by words-group analysis:
- "Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned": This two-part negative parallelism strongly emphasizes the divine principle of reciprocity regarding judgment. It warns against assuming the role of the ultimate arbiter of others' righteousness, a role reserved for God alone. The phrasing highlights the consequence of self-righteousness, which is to be judged by the same harsh standard applied to others. This specifically addresses the judgmental and often hypocritical spirit seen in various religious groups of Jesus' time and in human nature universally.
- "forgive, and you will be forgiven": This positive command moves from the avoidance of harmful actions (judging, condemning) to the active demonstration of God's character. Forgiveness is not merely passive tolerance but an intentional act of releasing the other from moral or relational debt. It is inextricably linked to one's own standing before God, reinforcing the spiritual axiom that grace received is often proportional to grace given. This third clause reveals the deep theological connection between human reconciliation and divine absolution.
Luke 6 37 Bonus section
The emphatic double negative (ou mē) used with "will not be judged" and "will not be condemned" in the original Greek powerfully conveys the absolute certainty of the promise. If a disciple refrains from judging, there is no way God will judge them in that critical manner. The consistent use of the "divine passive" throughout the verse ("you will not be judged," "you will not be condemned," "you will be forgiven") subtly yet profoundly identifies God as the ultimate arbiter of these consequences. It is God who measures, God who judges, God who condemns, and God who forgives in response to the disciple's posture towards others. This verse forms part of Jesus' call for His followers to be "merciful, even as your Father is merciful" (Lk 6:36), indicating that the attitudes commanded are reflections of the divine character. It sets the stage for the following parable of the speck and the log, exposing the hypocrisy of those who judge others while ignoring their own greater faults, thus reinforcing the self-reflective nature of this command.
Luke 6 37 Commentary
Luke 6:37 presents a transformative Kingdom ethic, shifting the focus from external legalism to an internal disposition of mercy and grace. Jesus instructs His followers to abandon a judgmental and condemning spirit, not merely for others' benefit but for their own, as God will apply the same standard they use. This teaching doesn't eliminate the need for righteous discernment or accountability within the faith community, but it vehemently prohibits censorious, hypocritical, and unmerciful judgment of individuals' inner states or ultimate standing. Furthermore, the command to "forgive" elevates the principle beyond mere restraint, urging active release and pardon, promising a parallel divine release. This divine reciprocity underscores that those who exhibit God-like mercy and forgiveness towards others will experience God's boundless mercy and forgiveness in return, highlighting a core aspect of authentic discipleship that mirrors God's own character.
- Examples for practical usage:
- Before criticizing a peer's performance, reflect on areas where you might also fall short, fostering empathy instead of harsh judgment.
- When you feel wronged by someone, actively choose to release bitterness and forgive them, understanding this opens the door for your own heart to receive peace and for God to forgive you.
- Rather than immediately concluding the worst about someone's intentions, choose to give them the benefit of the doubt, seeking understanding instead of condemnation.