Devine Scripture

Luke 2:50

What does Luke 2:50 mean?

A plain-English look at Luke 2:50 in WEB alongside six other public-domain English translations, with cross-references and chapter context.

What Luke 2:50 means

Despite Jesus' profound declaration about being in "my Father's house," His parents "understood not the saying which he spake unto them." This lack of full comprehension highlights the human struggle to grasp the divine. Even those closest to Jesus, who had witnessed miraculous events and received angelic prophecies, did not fully grasp the implications of His divine sonship, showing the gradual unfolding of spiritual understanding concerning His mission.

Parallel translations

WEB

World English Bible · 2000

And they understood not the saying which he spake unto them.

KJV

King James Version · 1611

And they understood not the saying which he spake unto them.

ASV

American Standard Version · 1901

And they understood not the saying which he spake unto them.

BBE

Bible in Basic English · 1949

And his words seemed strange to them.

YLT

Young's Literal Translation · 1862

and they did not understand the saying that he spake to them,

DRA

Douay-Rheims (Challoner) · 1752

And they understood not the word that he spoke unto them.

DBY

Darby Bible · 1890

And they understood not the thing that he said to them.

Context

This verse highlights the parents' lack of understanding regarding Jesus' profound statement. It immediately follows Jesus' assertion of being in His Father's house. This lack of comprehension underscores the mystery surrounding Jesus' divine identity, even for His earthly parents, and serves as a contrast to Mary's continued internal pondering.

v.49And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought me? knew ye not that I must be in my Father’s house?

v.50This passage

v.51And he went down with them, and came to Nazareth; and he was subject unto them: and his mother kept all these sayings in her heart.

Cross references

Related passages from across Scripture, drawn from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.

  • Luke 18:34

    And they understood none of these things; and this saying was hid from them, and they perceived not the things that were said.

  • Luke 9:45

    But they understood not this saying, and it was concealed from them, that they should not perceive it; and they were afraid to ask him about this saying.

  • Mark 9:32

    But they understood not the saying, and were afraid to ask him.

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