Luke 6:45
What does Luke 6:45 mean?
A plain-English look at Luke 6:45 in WEB alongside six other public-domain English translations, with cross-references and chapter context.
What Luke 6:45 means
Jesus connected the inner person to their outward speech and actions, explaining, "The good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth that which is good; and the evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth that which is evil: for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks." This teaching reveals that words and deeds are not merely superficial but are direct expressions of what truly resides within a person's heart. A heart filled with good produces good, while a heart filled with evil produces evil, demonstrating that true transformation must begin internally, affecting one's innermost being before manifesting outwardly.
Parallel translations
WEB
World English Bible · 2000The good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and the evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth that which is evil: for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.
KJV
King James Version · 1611A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.
ASV
American Standard Version · 1901The good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and the evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth that which is evil: for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.
BBE
Bible in Basic English · 1949The good man, out of the good store of his heart, gives good things; and the evil man, out of his evil store, gives evil: for out of the full store of the heart come the words of the mouth.
YLT
Young's Literal Translation · 1862`The good man out of the good treasure of his heart doth bring forth that which <FI>is<Fi> good; and the evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart doth bring forth that which <FI>is<Fi> evil; for out of the abounding of the heart doth his mouth speak.
DRA
Douay-Rheims (Challoner) · 1752A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth that which is evil. For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.
DBY
Darby Bible · 1890The good man, out of the good treasure of his heart, brings forth good; and the wicked [man] out of the wicked, brings forth what is wicked: for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.
Context
Building upon the metaphor of the tree and its fruit, this verse applies the principle to the human heart and its outward expressions, particularly speech. It directly links inner character ("treasure of his heart") to observable behavior. This explanation about the heart's abundance provides a crucial understanding of the source of good and evil, establishing the necessity of an internal transformation before Jesus presents the culmination of His ethical teachings: the importance of obeying His words.
Cross references
Related passages from across Scripture, drawn from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.
- Matthew 12:34
Ye offspring of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.
- Jude 1:15
to execute judgment upon all, and to convict all the ungodly of all their works of ungodliness which they have ungodly wrought, and of all the hard things which ungodly sinners have spoken against him.
- Psalms 59:7
Behold, they belch out with their mouth; Swords are in their lips: For who, say they, doth hear?
- Psalms 64:3
Who have whet their tongue like a sword, And have aimed their arrows, even bitter words,
- Jeremiah 9:2
Oh that I had in the wilderness a lodging-place of wayfaring men; that I might leave my people, and go from them! for they are all adulterers, an assembly of treacherous men.
- John 7:38
He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, from within him shall flow rivers of living water.
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