Bible Strands
Luke 10:39
She had a sister named Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to His message.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The narrator describes the moment Jesus enters Martha’s home, introducing Mary as the sister who remains seated while Martha attends to hospitality.
The words — The Greek ἀδελφὴ (adelphē) literally means “sister,” identifying Mary’s relationship to Martha, while καλουμένη (kaloumenē) translates as “being called,” noting her name.
The thread — The posture of sitting at a teacher’s feet appears in Luke 8:35 and echoes the blessing on those who watch daily at wisdom’s doors in Proverbs 8:34, while Mary’s physical proximity to Jesus recurs in John 12:3.
Why it lands — The text records Mary’s choice to listen rather than serve, demanding the reader examine whether their attention rests on practical duties or on the spoken word.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Greek words
King James Version
And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus’ feet, and heard his word.
Cross-references
- Proverbs 8:34 Blessed is the man who listens to me, watching daily at my doors, waiting at the posts of my doorway.
- Luke 8:35 So the people went out to see what had happened. They came to Jesus and found the man whom the demons had left, sitting at Jesus’ feet, clothed and in his right mind; and they were afraid.
- John 12:3 Then Mary took about a pint of expensive perfume, made of pure nard, and she anointed Jesus’ feet and wiped them with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.
- Acts 22:3 “I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but raised in this city. I was educated at the feet of Gamaliel in strict conformity to the law of our fathers. I was just as zealous for God as any of you are today.
- Deuteronomy 33:3 Surely You love the people; all the holy ones are in Your hand, and they sit down at Your feet; each receives Your words—
- Luke 2:46 Finally, after three days they found Him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions.
- 1 Corinthians 7:32 I want you to be free from concern. The unmarried man is concerned about the work of the Lord, how he can please the Lord.
- John 11:1 At this time a man named Lazarus was sick. He lived in Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha.