Luke 4:18
What does Luke 4:18 mean?
A plain-English look at Luke 4:18 in WEB alongside six other public-domain English translations, with cross-references and chapter context.
What Luke 4:18 means
Verse 18 quotes Isaiah: 'The Spirit of the Lord is upon me...' listing the messianic mission—preaching good news to the poor, release to captives, sight to the blind, and liberty for the bruised. This passage summarizes the compassionate, restorative scope of Jesus’ work. It emphasizes the Spirit’s anointing and the social and spiritual healing the Messiah brings, focusing on those marginalized. Jesus identifies with this mission, signaling that his ministry will be gospel for the vulnerable and oppressed, prioritizing mercy, justice, and spiritual renewal rather than merely ceremonial religiosity.
Parallel translations
WEB
World English Bible · 2000The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, Because he anointed me to preach good tidings to the poor: He hath sent me to proclaim release to the captives, And recovering of sight to the blind, To set at liberty them that are bruised,
KJV
King James Version · 1611The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,
ASV
American Standard Version · 1901The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, Because he anointed me to preach good tidings to the poor: He hath sent me to proclaim release to the captives, And recovering of sight to the blind, To set at liberty them that are bruised,
BBE
Bible in Basic English · 1949The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because I am marked out by him to give good news to the poor; he has sent me to make well those who are broken-hearted; to say that the prisoners will be let go, and the blind will see, and to make the wounded free from their chains,
YLT
Young's Literal Translation · 1862`The Spirit of the Lord <FI>is<Fi> upon me, Because He did anoint me; To proclaim good news to the poor, Sent me to heal the broken of heart, To proclaim to captives deliverance, And to blind receiving of sight, To send away the bruised with deliverance,
DRA
Douay-Rheims (Challoner) · 1752The spirit of the Lord is upon me. Wherefore he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor, he hath sent me to heal the contrite of heart,
DBY
Darby Bible · 1890[The] Spirit of [the] Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach glad tidings to [the] poor; he has sent me to preach to captives deliverance, and to [the] blind sight, to send forth [the] crushed delivered,
Context
This verse contains the core of Jesus’ reading in Nazareth and frames his mission publicly. It follows his selection of the Isaiah passage and precedes the culmination of the quote and his application. In the chapter’s flow, this declaration both announces the content of his ministry and implicitly challenges expectations: his work addresses the marginalized, which will provoke both welcome and resistance. The reader sees the theological thrust of Jesus’ ministry in concise, prophetic terms.
Cross references
Related passages from across Scripture, drawn from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.
- James 2:5
Hearken, my beloved brethren; did not God choose them that are poor as to the world to be rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he promised to them that love him?
- Matthew 5:3
Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
- Zechariah 9:11
As for thee also, because of the blood of thy covenant I have set free thy prisoners from the pit wherein is no water.
- Ezekiel 9:4
And Jehovah said unto him, Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry over all the abominations that are done in the midst thereof.
- 1 Peter 2:9
But ye are an elect race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, that ye may show forth the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:
- Psalms 147:3
He healeth the broken in heart, And bindeth up their wounds.
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