Luke 7 16

Luke 7:16 kjv

And there came a fear on all: and they glorified God, saying, That a great prophet is risen up among us; and, That God hath visited his people.

Luke 7:16 nkjv

Then fear came upon all, and they glorified God, saying, "A great prophet has risen up among us"; and, "God has visited His people."

Luke 7:16 niv

They were all filled with awe and praised God. "A great prophet has appeared among us," they said. "God has come to help his people."

Luke 7:16 esv

Fear seized them all, and they glorified God, saying, "A great prophet has arisen among us!" and "God has visited his people!"

Luke 7:16 nlt

Great fear swept the crowd, and they praised God, saying, "A mighty prophet has risen among us," and "God has visited his people today."

Luke 7 verses

Luke 7 16 Meaning

The people, witnessing Jesus' resurrection of the widow's son, were struck with reverential awe, recognizing God's active presence. This awe led them to give praise and honor to God. They declared Jesus to be "a great prophet," indicating their perception of His divine authority and power, reminiscent of the mightiest prophets of old. Furthermore, they proclaimed that "God has visited His people," signifying a belief that this miraculous act was a direct divine intervention, a fulfillment of God's promise to actively restore and deliver Israel.

Luke 7 16 Context

Luke chapter 7 opens with Jesus healing the centurion's servant through His word, demonstrating extraordinary authority and faith (Lk 7:1-10). Immediately preceding verse 16 is the resurrection of the widow's son in Nain (Lk 7:11-15). Jesus, moved by compassion, approaches the funeral procession, touches the coffin, and commands the dead boy to rise, an act of singular divine power. The miracle itself echoes the actions of the prophets Elijah (1 Ki 17:17-24) and Elisha (2 Ki 4:32-37) who also raised the dead. The crowd's reaction in verse 16 is therefore a direct response to this powerful demonstration of life over death, recognizing it as an act only God or His specially appointed agent could perform. This miracle sets the stage for John the Baptist's disciples to question Jesus, asking if He is the "coming one" (Lk 7:18-23), to which Jesus responds by pointing to His works, including raising the dead, as evidence of His identity.

Luke 7 16 Word analysis

• And: Connects the observed miracle to the immediate public reaction.
• fear: Greek: φόβος (phobos). Not mere terror, but profound reverence and awe in the presence of the divine or supernatural, acknowledging overwhelming power and majesty. It leads to worship, not flight.
• seized: Greek: ἐπελάβετο (epelabeto). Signifies an immediate and powerful grip, an involuntary reaction that took hold of them entirely.
• them all: Indicates a universal, collective reaction from the entire crowd witnessing the event, emphasizing the clear impact of Jesus' action.
• glorified: Greek: ἐδόξαζον (edoxazon). Imperfect tense, suggesting a continuous or repeated act of praising and honoring God. Their response was one of worship and adoration, recognizing God as the ultimate source of this power.
• God: The ultimate recipient of their praise. They rightly attributed the miraculous act to divine power working through Jesus.
• saying: Introduces their interpretation and acclamation following their fear and glorification.
• 'A great prophet': Greek: προφήτης μέγας (prophētēs megas). They acknowledge Jesus as a divinely inspired spokesman, superior to common prophets due to the unparalleled power demonstrated. This likely linked Jesus to figures like Moses or even implied a coming figure from Deut 18:15.
• 'has arisen': Greek: ἠγέρθη (ēgerthē). Passive voice, indicating that God Himself had raised up this prophet. It suggests divine commissioning and enablement.
• 'among us!': Highlights the immediacy and tangibility of God's action within their present community and experience.
• 'and,': Introduces a second, parallel statement reinforcing the depth of their understanding.
• 'God has visited': Greek: ἐπεσκέψατο (epeskepsato). Signifies a divine intervention, a personal and powerful act of coming to or inspecting. In biblical terms, it often denotes God's coming for judgment, blessing, or, most profoundly here, for salvation and redemption.
• 'His people!': Specifically, Israel. The crowd recognized this event as God remembering His covenant promises and acting powerfully on behalf of His chosen nation.
• Words-group analysis:
  • "fear seized them all, and they glorified God": This phrase beautifully captures the proper response to divine revelation. The awe is not paralyzing terror but a reverent recognition that leads to adoration and praise of the One truly mighty.
  • "'A great prophet has arisen among us!'": This collective exclamation reveals their profound impression of Jesus. They instinctively classify Him within their understanding of divinely sent figures, yet elevate Him as "great," a step beyond common prophets due to His demonstrated power over life and death.
  • "and, 'God has visited His people!'": This powerful declaration moves beyond merely acknowledging a great prophet. It recognizes God's direct, personal, and redemptive intervention in their midst. It speaks to a fulfillment of eschatological hope – that God, who seemed silent for so long, was now actively moving among them to bring salvation and deliverance. This echoes OT prophecies of God's gracious remembrance of Israel.

Luke 7 16 Bonus section

The phrase "God has visited His people" echoes Old Testament expressions (e.g., Gen 50:24, Exod 3:16) where "visitation" implies God's decisive, often salvific, intervention on behalf of Israel after a period of suffering or expectation. It resonates with Zechariah's prophecy in Luke 1:68: "Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for He has visited and redeemed His people." Thus, the crowd's statement, born out of a miraculous event, implicitly ties Jesus' actions to the fulfillment of Israel's long-held hope for divine redemption. This moment marks a key point in Luke's narrative where common people begin to grasp the redemptive implications of Jesus' ministry, seeing not just isolated miracles, but a divinely orchestrated movement towards salvation for the nation. It highlights a common prophetic anticipation in Judaism: that when the Messiah or God's appointed one came, there would be undeniable signs of God's active presence and power.

Luke 7 16 Commentary

Luke 7:16 captures a pivotal moment of public recognition and theological interpretation. The crowd's reaction, stemming from reverential fear, is to worship God, correctly attributing Jesus' miraculous power to its divine source. Their dual pronouncements - acknowledging Jesus as "a great prophet" and proclaiming that "God has visited His people" - highlight a burgeoning understanding of Jesus' unique identity and the significance of His work. While their recognition of Jesus as a "great prophet" connects Him to figures like Elijah and Elisha, particularly given His power over death, their second statement points to a deeper theological realization: that Jesus' arrival signifies an era of divine visitation and salvific action for Israel. This is more than a mere miracle; it is God acting in redemptive history, remembering His covenant and manifesting His presence for His people. This verse subtly bridges the expectation of a prophet with the active presence of God Himself, hinting at Jesus' full divine nature.