Bible Strands
Luke 12:52
From now on, five in one household will be divided, three against two and two against three.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Jesus addresses His followers during a teaching on the cost of discipleship, immediately following His declaration that His arrival brings division rather than worldly peace.
The words — The Greek ἔσονται (esontai) translates literally as "there will be," while νῦν (nun) means "now," anchoring the prediction in immediate, inevitable reality.
The thread — This pattern of fractured relationships appears in John 15:18, where the world's hostility toward believers mirrors its prior hatred of Christ, and in Micah 7:5, which warns against trusting companions who oppose covenant loyalty.
Why it lands — The text demands that readers accept relational fracture as a direct consequence of allegiance to Christ, prioritizing divine loyalty over familial bonds without offering comfort for the coming conflict.
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
For from henceforth there shall be five in one house divided, three against two, and two against three.
Cross-references
- John 15:18 If the world hates you, understand that it hated Me first.
- Acts 14:1 At Iconium, Paul and Barnabas went as usual into the Jewish synagogue, where they spoke so well that a great number of Jews and Greeks believed.
- Micah 7:5 Do not rely on a friend; do not trust in a companion. Seal the doors of your mouth from her who lies in your arms.
- John 9:16 Because of this, some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for He does not keep the Sabbath.” But others said, “How can a sinful man perform such signs?” And there was division among them.
- John 10:19 Again there was division among the Jews because of Jesus’ message.
- John 16:2 They will put you out of the synagogues. In fact, a time is coming when anyone who kills you will think he is offering a service to God.
- Acts 28:24 Some of them were convinced by what he said, but others refused to believe.
- Psalms 41:9 Even my close friend whom I trusted, the one who shared my bread, has lifted up his heel against me.
- Acts 13:43 After the synagogue was dismissed, many of the Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who spoke to them and urged them to continue in the grace of God.
- John 7:41 Others declared, “This is the Christ.” But still others asked, “How can the Christ come from Galilee?