Luke 9 44

Luke 9:44 kjv

Let these sayings sink down into your ears: for the Son of man shall be delivered into the hands of men.

Luke 9:44 nkjv

"Let these words sink down into your ears, for the Son of Man is about to be betrayed into the hands of men."

Luke 9:44 niv

"Listen carefully to what I am about to tell you: The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men."

Luke 9:44 esv

"Let these words sink into your ears: The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men."

Luke 9:44 nlt

"Listen to me and remember what I say. The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of his enemies."

Luke 9 verses

Luke 9 44 Meaning

Luke 9:44 records Jesus' solemn and urgent declaration to His disciples concerning His imminent suffering and death. He instructs them to deeply internalize His words: that "The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men." This statement emphasizes Christ's foreknowledge of His betrayal and crucifixion, affirming it as a divinely predetermined necessity despite the disciples' ongoing inability to grasp or accept such a suffering Messiah. It underscores the profound gravity of His mission, involving human rejection and ultimately, God's sovereign plan for redemption through sacrifice.

Luke 9 44 Context

Luke 9:44 appears immediately after Jesus' Transfiguration, the healing of a demon-possessed boy (where the disciples failed to cast out the demon), and before a significant discussion among the disciples about who would be the greatest in the kingdom. This placement is crucial. The disciples had just witnessed Jesus' divine glory (Transfiguration) and His immense power (healing). Their minds were likely still focused on earthly kingdom aspirations, power, and status, evident in their subsequent dispute about greatness.

Jesus' second explicit prediction of His passion directly contrasts with their human expectations of a conquering, glorious Messiah. The emphasis to "let these words sink into your ears" suggests that the truth He was conveying was radically different from their preconceived notions and thus difficult for them to receive and internalize. The verse is part of a larger pattern in the Gospels where Jesus repeatedly foretells His suffering, gradually revealing the path to salvation and glory through humiliation and death, a concept fundamentally alien to the dominant Jewish messianic hopes of that era, which anticipated a political deliverer from Roman rule.

Luke 9 44 Word analysis

• Let these words sink into your ears: θέςθε εἰς τὰ ὦτα ὑμῶν τοὺς λόγους τούτους (theste eis ta ōta hymōn tous logous toutous) - This is a strong, imperative command. The verb θέςθε (theste) means "put" or "place." It conveys a sense of actively laying down and internalizing. "Into your ears" implies more than mere hearing; it denotes a deep reception, consideration, and permanent lodging of the words within their understanding and memory. Jesus emphasizes the profound importance and solemnity of His declaration, urging them to truly apprehend its meaning despite their immediate incomprehension. It speaks to a necessary spiritual receptivity for divine truth.

• The Son of Man: ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου (ho huios tou anthrōpou) - This is Jesus' primary self-designation, used consistently throughout the Gospels. It carries dual significance. On one hand, it refers to the exalted, divine figure from Daniel 7:13-14, who comes with the clouds of heaven and is given everlasting dominion. On the other, Jesus imbues it with profound connotations of suffering, humility, and death, connecting it implicitly to the suffering servant passages in Isaiah 53. By using this title here, Jesus uniquely identifies Himself as both the glorious, appointed Messiah and the One who must suffer for humanity's redemption, a concept at odds with prevailing Jewish expectations of a political, conquering Messiah.

• is about to be delivered: μέλλει παραδίδοσθαι (mellei paradidosthai) - μέλλει (mellei) signifies an imminent and certain future event; it carries the weight of divine inevitability and predetermined purpose. It's not a mere possibility but an about to happen certainty. παραδίδοσθαι (paradidosthai), in the passive voice, means "to be handed over," "to be given up," or "to be betrayed." It points to the act of betrayal (by Judas) but also encompasses the broader handing over of Jesus to Roman authorities and to death itself, highlighting that this was part of God's sovereign plan, even while involving human agency and sin.

• into the hands of men: εἰς χεῖρας ἀνθρώπων (eis cheiras anthrōpōn) - This phrase clearly identifies the human agents involved in His passion, particularly those who would arrest, try, and execute Him. It starkly contrasts Jesus' divine nature and authority (as "Son of Man") with His vulnerability as He is delivered into mortal human control. While emphasizing human responsibility in His suffering, it is understood within the broader context of God's overarching redemptive plan, where even human sin and action fulfill divine prophecy and purpose.

Words-group Analysis:

• "Let these words sink into your ears": This imperative phrase reveals Jesus' acute awareness of the disciples' spiritual blindness concerning His true mission. It’s a direct appeal for them to move beyond surface hearing and to absorb a profoundly counter-intuitive truth. It highlights the weightiness of the upcoming revelation and their initial lack of understanding, which was a barrier to truly following Him.

• "The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men": This concise statement encapsulates the core prophecy of Jesus' passion. It marries His divine-human identity ("Son of Man") with the means of His suffering ("delivered") and the human instrumentality involved ("into the hands of men"). The combined force of "is about to be delivered" points to the imminence and the divinely ordained necessity of this act, serving as a constant reminder of the redemptive purpose behind His journey to Jerusalem. It contrasts the expectation of a mighty deliverer with the reality of a delivered sufferer, foundational to the Gospel message.

Luke 9 44 Bonus section

• This prediction in Luke 9:44 is the second of three major passion predictions given by Jesus in Luke's Gospel, building upon Luke 9:22 and culminating in the more detailed account in Luke 18:31-33. Each reiteration serves to emphasize its truth and importance.
• The fact that this essential truth "was concealed from them" (Luke 9:45) highlights a divinely permitted spiritual veil over their understanding, indicating that a full comprehension of the Messiah's suffering nature required not just intellectual assent but a profound spiritual awakening, which only truly happened after His resurrection. This also protected them from immediate despair that would have crippled their ability to fulfill their roles during His passion and subsequent resurrection appearances.
• The prophecy of "being delivered" (paradidosthai) connects Jesus' suffering to the broader Old Testament narrative of a Suffering Servant, whose voluntary submission fulfills divine will and achieves redemption. It contrasts the world's definition of power with God's ultimate power revealed through weakness and sacrifice.

Luke 9 44 Commentary

Luke 9:44 presents a stark and critical truth delivered by Jesus to His disciples concerning His imminent suffering. It is not merely a prediction but a solemn declaration demanding deep attention. The phrase "Let these words sink into your ears" underscores the profound difficulty the disciples had in accepting the notion of a suffering Messiah, contrasting sharply with their ingrained nationalistic expectations of a glorious, conquering king. Their subsequent dispute about who was greatest (Luke 9:46) confirms their spiritual dullness at this point.

Jesus’ choice of "Son of Man" here is deliberate; while it pointed to His divine authority (from Daniel), Jesus primarily used it in reference to His suffering and redemptive mission, distinguishing His Messiahship from the world’s perception. The passive verb "to be delivered" (paradidosthai) is key; it alludes to Judas's betrayal but, more significantly, highlights God's ultimate plan, where Jesus voluntarily submits to suffering as part of the divine design for salvation. His "being delivered into the hands of men" shows that the means of His death would be by human instrumentality, but according to the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God (Acts 2:23).

This verse functions as a preparatory word, a prophecy meant to be recalled and understood after His resurrection and the coming of the Holy Spirit (John 12:16, John 14:26). It demonstrates Jesus' divine foresight and the unyielding necessity of His atoning work for the sins of the world. For the disciples, it was a necessary lesson, though initially unheeded, that discipleship would also involve embracing humility and suffering rather than earthly glory.