Luke 9:58 kjv
And Jesus said unto him, Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.
Luke 9:58 nkjv
And Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head."
Luke 9:58 niv
Jesus replied, "Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head."
Luke 9:58 esv
And Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head."
Luke 9:58 nlt
But Jesus replied, "Foxes have dens to live in, and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place even to lay his head."
Luke 9 58 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Matt 8:20 | Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay His head.” | Direct parallel passage emphasizing Jesus's homelessness. |
| Lk 9:23 | Then he said to them all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” | The general call to self-denial for discipleship. |
| Lk 14:26 | “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.” | Radical reorientation of priorities for true discipleship. |
| Lk 14:33 | “So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.” | Renouncing possessions as a condition for following Jesus. |
| Phil 2:7-8 | Rather, he emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant… he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. | Jesus's self-emptying and ultimate humility. |
| 2 Cor 8:9 | For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich. | Jesus's voluntary poverty for our spiritual gain. |
| Isa 53:3 | He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. | Prophecy of the Suffering Servant, identifying with Jesus's lack of worldly acceptance. |
| Psa 69:8 | I have become a stranger to my brothers, an alien to my mother’s children. | Foreshadows Jesus's social alienation and lack of a permanent earthly home. |
| Heb 13:14 | For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come. | Disciples' heavenly hope contrasting with earthly impermanence. |
| 1 Pet 2:21 | For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. | Christ's suffering as a pattern for disciples. |
| Jn 18:36 | Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.” | Explains why Jesus did not seek earthly power or comfort. |
| Matt 10:37 | “Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me." | Putting Jesus first above all family ties and comfort. |
| Acts 7:5 | Yet he gave him no inheritance in it, not even a foot's length... | God's chosen people, even Abraham, had no lasting earthly inheritance, reflecting a theme of spiritual dwelling over material. |
| Jn 15:19 | "If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you." | The cost of being chosen by Christ often means being alienated from worldly comforts. |
| Matt 6:24 | “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money." | Choosing between God and material security. |
| Lk 12:33 | "Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail..." | An encouragement to prioritize heavenly treasure over earthly possessions. |
| Rom 8:17 | and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. | Suffering alongside Christ as a prerequisite for sharing in His glory. |
| Mk 8:34 | And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” | Another Gospel parallel emphasizing cross-bearing and self-denial. |
| Heb 11:13 | These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. | Believers throughout history seen as transient pilgrims on earth. |
| Matt 6:26 | Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? | Contrasts God's provision for birds with His deliberate non-provision (in terms of physical dwelling) for Jesus, highlighting His choice. |
Luke 9 verses
Luke 9 58 Meaning
Luke 9:58 reveals Jesus's radical homelessness and lack of worldly security, contrasting His situation with the natural comfort of animals. It highlights His complete self-sacrifice and devotion to His redemptive mission, implying that following Him requires a similar detachment from earthly comforts and a willingness to embrace hardship for the sake of the Kingdom of God.
Luke 9 58 Context
Luke chapter 9 focuses on Jesus's mission and the nature of discipleship, moving towards His journey to Jerusalem and ultimately His crucifixion. The chapter begins with Jesus sending out the twelve disciples with authority, feeding the five thousand, Peter's confession of Christ, and Jesus's first clear prophecy of His suffering, death, and resurrection. Following the Transfiguration and the healing of a demon-possessed boy, the focus shifts even more to the cost of following Him.
The immediate context for verse 58 (Luke 9:57-62) presents three encounters between Jesus and potential followers, each revealing a different aspect of the demands of discipleship. This verse is Jesus's direct reply to the first person who impulsively declares, "I will follow You wherever You go." Jesus uses this opportunity to reveal the stark reality of His itinerant, unsheltered existence, effectively setting the bar high and challenging any assumption that following Him would bring comfort, stability, or earthly reward. He clarifies that His mission, and by extension that of His true followers, is not about finding security or possessions in this world, but about radical commitment to God's Kingdom.
Luke 9 58 Word analysis
- And Jesus said to him: Establishes Jesus's authoritative declaration in response to a potential disciple. His words are not merely observation but a profound statement about His identity and the cost of His mission.
- "Foxes" (Greek: alōpex, ἀλώπηξ): A common wild animal known for making dens. In ancient thought, foxes could represent cunning or destructive forces (Eze 13:4, Lam 5:18). Here, they symbolize common creatures that easily find and secure places of dwelling.
- "have holes" (Greek: phōleoi, φωλεοί): Refers to lairs, dens, or burrows, signifying a place of safety and rest for animals.
- "and birds of the air" (Greek: ta peteina tou ouranou, τὰ πετεινὰ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ): Simple, wild birds, often associated with freedom and God's providential care (Matt 6:26). They are also examples of creatures with readily available shelter.
- "have nests" (Greek: kataskēnōseis, κατασκηνώσεις): Literal resting or dwelling places, like roosts or perching places. This term reinforces the idea of a secure, accessible refuge for creatures of the wild.
- "but": A strong adversative conjunction, highlighting the sharp contrast between the preceding statement and what follows.
- "the Son of Man" (Greek: ho huios tou anthrōpou, ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου): Jesus's most frequent self-designation. This title uniquely combines His humanity (son of man) with His divine authority and destiny (from Dan 7:13-14). In this context, it underscores that even this figure of profound significance, who is destined for cosmic glory, has no earthly place to rest. It highlights His identification with humanity in its most vulnerable and homeless state.
- "has nowhere to lay His head" (Greek: ouk echei pou tēn kephalēn klinē, οὐκ ἔχει ποῦ τὴν κεφαλὴν κλίνῃ): A striking and poignant statement meaning He has no permanent dwelling, no place of rest, no home or personal refuge. This signifies not just physical discomfort, but a radical detachment from worldly security, comfort, and possessions, and a profound commitment to His itinerant mission. It speaks to a life lived in absolute dependence on the Father and dedicated wholly to the task of the Kingdom, with no worldly abode to call His own.
Luke 9 58 Bonus section
The homelessness of Jesus was not an ascetic discipline for its own sake, but a tangible demonstration of His single-minded dedication to His redemptive mission. He embodied the radical trust in God's providence that He often taught, showing that one's ultimate security lies not in earthly dwellings or possessions but in relationship with the Father and pursuit of His Kingdom. This statement by Jesus implicitly critiques societal values that equate worth and success with material accumulation and stable abodes, pointing instead to the inherent value of His eternal mission and the spiritual freedom that comes from detachment from the temporary.
Luke 9 58 Commentary
Luke 9:58 is a pivotal statement by Jesus that encapsulates the profound self-emptying of His Incarnation and the demanding nature of His call to discipleship. By contrasting His situation with that of wild animals, Jesus vividly illustrates His unparalleled devotion to His Father's will and the Kingdom, above all earthly comforts and security. Foxes and birds, simple creatures of nature, possess fundamental necessities of shelter and rest, a security often taken for granted. Yet, the Son of Man, the King of the universe, willingly relinquished such basic comforts.
This homelessness was not an accidental byproduct of His ministry but a deliberate aspect of His messianic path, signifying His kingdom is "not of this world" (Jn 18:36) and cannot be measured by earthly success or possessions. For the first potential disciple, eager to follow "wherever you go" (likely expecting earthly glory), Jesus's response served as an immediate and stark correction. It dispelled any illusions that following Him would lead to status, comfort, or material gain, emphasizing instead a path of self-denial, suffering, and complete reliance on God. This verse continues to challenge believers to examine their own attachments to the world and embrace a life where commitment to Christ takes precedence over personal ease and security.