Luke 14:29
What does Luke 14:29 mean?
A plain-English look at Luke 14:29 in WEB alongside six other public-domain English translations, with cross-references and chapter context.
What Luke 14:29 means
If someone lays a foundation but cannot finish, onlookers mock. The scene captures the public nature of failed undertakings. In discipleship, beginning loudly and then quitting brings reproach, not only on the individual but on the witness to Jesus. The warning is loving: do not play at following Christ. Empty enthusiasm without endurance leads to shame. Counting the cost at the start protects both integrity and testimony. Better to move forward with eyes open, sustained by grace, than to leap without resolve and stumble when trials, temptations, or sacrifices arrive.
Parallel translations
WEB
World English Bible · 2000Lest haply, when he hath laid a foundation, and is not able to finish, all that behold begin to mock him,
KJV
King James Version · 1611Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him,
ASV
American Standard Version · 1901Lest haply, when he hath laid a foundation, and is not able to finish, all that behold begin to mock him,
BBE
Bible in Basic English · 1949For fear that if he makes a start and is not able to go on with it to the end, all who see it will be laughing at him,
YLT
Young's Literal Translation · 1862lest that he having laid a foundation, and not being able to finish, all who are beholding may begin to mock him,
DRA
Douay-Rheims (Challoner) · 1752Lest, after he hath laid the foundation and is not able to finish it, all that see it begin to mock him,
DBY
Darby Bible · 1890in order that, having laid the foundation of it, and not being able to finish it, all who see it do not begin to mock at him,
Context
This verse elaborates the tower image’s outcome when prudence is ignored. Verse 30 will complete the mockers’ taunt. Jesus uses the social reality of honor and shame to communicate the gravity of half-finished discipleship. The next analogy, in verses 31–32, will present a king considering war, pressing the same lesson through a different lens—strategy and the necessity of seeking terms of peace when outmatched. The section then resolves in verse 33 with the application to renouncing all.
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