Bible Strands
Luke 13:29
People will come from east and west and north and south, and will recline at the table in the kingdom of God.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Jesus addresses a crowd and religious observers who assume ethnic descent guarantees entry into God’s kingdom, contrasting their impending exclusion with the future inclusion of others.
The words — ἥξουσιν (hēxousin) = they will come; ἀνατολῶν (anatolōn) = east.
The thread — The text describes a gathering from every direction, which runs parallel to Isaiah 43:6, Isaiah 49:6, and Isaiah 66:18 where God summons His people from the ends of the earth.
Why it lands — The passage states that physical origin does not determine kingdom membership, requiring readers to abandon assumed privilege and recognize that divine invitation extends beyond ethnic boundaries.
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 they shall come from the east, and from the west, and from the north, and from the south, and shall sit down in the kingdom of God.
Cross-references
- Isaiah 43:6 I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’ and to the south, ‘Do not hold them back!’ Bring My sons from afar, and My daughters from the ends of the earth—
- Isaiah 49:6 He says: “It is not enough for You to be My Servant, to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the protected ones of Israel. I will also make You a light for the nations, to bring My salvation to the ends of the earth.”
- Isaiah 66:18 “And I, knowing their deeds and thoughts, am coming to gather all nations and tongues, and they will come and see My glory.
- Malachi 1:11 For My name will be great among the nations, from where the sun rises to where it sets. In every place, incense and pure offerings will be presented in My name, because My name will be great among the nations,” says the LORD of Hosts.
- Isaiah 54:2 “Enlarge the site of your tent, stretch out the curtains of your dwellings, do not hold back. Lengthen your ropes and drive your stakes in deep.
- Mark 13:27 And He will send out the angels to gather His elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven.
- Acts 28:28 Be advised, therefore, that God’s salvation has been sent to the Gentiles, and they will listen!”
- Ephesians 3:6 This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are fellow heirs, fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus.
- Revelation 7:9 After this I looked and saw a multitude too large to count, from every nation and tribe and people and tongue, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and holding palm branches in their hands.
- Genesis 28:14 Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and east and north and south. All the families of the earth will be blessed through you and your offspring.