Luke 19:4
What does Luke 19:4 mean?
A plain-English look at Luke 19:4 in WEB alongside six other public-domain English translations, with cross-references and chapter context.
What Luke 19:4 means
To overcome his height disadvantage and the surrounding crowd, Zaccheus ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree. He knew Jesus would pass that specific way. This action reveals his unusual determination and his willingness to disregard social norms for a chief publican, exhibiting a profound eagerness to catch a glimpse of Jesus. His persistence foreshadows the depth of his eventual spiritual transformation.
Parallel translations
WEB
World English Bible · 2000And he ran on before, and climbed up into a sycomore tree to see him: for he was to pass that way.
KJV
King James Version · 1611And he ran before, and climbed up into a sycomore tree to see him: for he was to pass that way.
ASV
American Standard Version · 1901And he ran on before, and climbed up into a sycomore tree to see him: for he was to pass that way.
BBE
Bible in Basic English · 1949And he went quickly in front of them and got up into a tree to see him, for he was going that way.
YLT
Young's Literal Translation · 1862and having run forward before, he went up on a sycamore, that he may see him, because through that <FI>way<Fi> he was about to pass by.
DRA
Douay-Rheims (Challoner) · 1752And running before, he climbed up into a sycamore tree, that he might see him: for he was to pass that way.
DBY
Darby Bible · 1890And running on before, he got up into a sycamore that he might see him, for he was going to pass that [way].
Context
Having established Zaccheus's difficulty in seeing Jesus, this verse presents his resourceful solution. His act of climbing a tree highlights his fervent desire and directly leads to Jesus spotting him in the following verse. This unconventional act is crucial, as it provides the physical setup for the personal interaction that irrevocably changes Zaccheus's life.
Cross references
Related passages from across Scripture, drawn from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.
- Psalms 78:47
He destroyed their vines with hail, And their sycomore-trees with frost.
- 1 Kings 10:27
And the king made silver to be in Jerusalem as stones, and cedars made he to be as the sycomore-trees that are in the lowland, for abundance.
- Luke 5:19
And not finding by what way they might bring him in because of the multitude, they went up to the housetop, and let him down through the tiles with his couch into the midst before Jesus.
- Isaiah 9:10
The bricks are fallen, but we will build with hewn stone; the sycomores are cut down, but we will put cedars in their place.
- 1 Chronicles 27:28
and over the olive-trees and the sycomore-trees that were in the lowland was Baal-hanan the Gederite: and over the cellars of oil was Joash:
- Amos 7:14
Then answered Amos, and said to Amaziah, I was no prophet, neither was I a prophet’s son; but I was a herdsman, and a dresser of sycomore-trees:
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