Luke 14:21
What does Luke 14:21 mean?
A plain-English look at Luke 14:21 in WEB alongside six other public-domain English translations, with cross-references and chapter context.
What Luke 14:21 means
Hearing the excuses, the master becomes angry—not capriciously, but rightly, for his generosity has been despised. He commands the servant to go quickly into the city’s streets and lanes and bring in the poor, maimed, blind, and lame. The feast will not be wasted; the house will be filled with those who never imagined such honor. Judgment on the refusing guests coincides with mercy to the needy. This turn displays the character of God’s kingdom: it is gracious, urgent, and open to the lowly. The categories mirror Jesus’ call to invite those who cannot repay, underscoring grace as the banquet’s defining feature.
Parallel translations
WEB
World English Bible · 2000And the servant came, and told his lord these things. Then the master of the house being angry said to his servant, Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor and maimed and blind and lame.
KJV
King James Version · 1611So that servant came, and shewed his lord these things. Then the master of the house being angry said to his servant, Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind.
ASV
American Standard Version · 1901And the servant came, and told his lord these things. Then the master of the house being angry said to his servant, Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor and maimed and blind and lame.
BBE
Bible in Basic English · 1949And the servant came back and gave his master an account of these things. Then the master of the house was angry and said to the servant, Go out quickly into the streets of the town and get the poor, the blind, and those who are broken in body.
YLT
Young's Literal Translation · 1862`And that servant having come, told to his lord these things, then the master of the house, having been angry, said to his servant, Go forth quickly to the broad places and lanes of the city, and the poor, and maimed, and lame, and blind, bring in hither.
DRA
Douay-Rheims (Challoner) · 1752And the servant returning, told these things to his lord. Then the master of the house, being angry, said to his servant: Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city; and bring in hither the poor and the feeble and the blind and the lame.
DBY
Darby Bible · 1890And the bondman came up and brought back word of these things to his lord. Then the master of the house, in anger, said to his bondman, Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring here the poor and crippled and lame and blind.
Context
This decisive response follows the three excuses. The inclusion of the marginalized directly links back to verses 13–14. Yet the master’s house is still not full, as the next verse will show. The flow continues with the servant’s report that there is room (verse 22), leading to an even wider mission into highways and hedges (verse 23). Finally, verse 24 will pronounce the exclusion of the original invitees from the supper, sealing the parable’s warning.
Cross references
Related passages from across Scripture, drawn from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.
- Luke 14:13
But when thou makest a feast, bid the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind:
- Psalms 113:7
He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, And lifteth up the needy from the dunghill;
- 1 Samuel 25:12
So David’s young men turned on their way, and went back, and came and told him according to all these words.
- 1 Samuel 2:8
He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, He lifteth up the needy from the dunghill, To make them sit with princes, And inherit the throne of glory: For the pillars of the earth are Jehovah’s, And he hath set the world upon them.
- Proverbs 8:2
On the top of high places by the way, Where the paths meet, she standeth;
- Isaiah 33:23
Thy tacklings are loosed; they could not strengthen the foot of their mast, they could not spread the sail: then was the prey of a great spoil divided; the lame took the prey.
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