Luke 14:10

But when you are invited, go and sit in the last place, so that your host will come and tell you, ‘Friend, move up to a better place.’ Then you will be honored in front of everyone at the table with you.

Berean Standard Bible

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Study note

Setting — Jesus addresses an invited guest at a banquet, instructing him on seating protocol before the host arrives. He responds to the social pressure described in Luke 14:9 by giving a direct command to the guest.

The words — The Greek ἔσχατον (eschaton) means "last," and πορευθεὶς (poreutheis) means "having gone," forming the active command to take the lowest seat. The text states the guest must recline in that position so the host may later invite him to a better place.

The thread — The principle runs with Proverbs 25:6, which warns against exalting oneself before a ruler, and Proverbs 15:33, which links humility to honor. Isaiah 60:14 illustrates the same pattern by describing oppressors bowing down to the exalted.

Why it lands — The verse asks a reader to voluntarily forgo social precedence to avoid public humiliation and receive genuine recognition. It demands practical self-lowering over self-promotion.

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

But when thou art bidden, go and sit down in the lowest room; that when he that bade thee cometh, he may say unto thee, Friend, go up higher: then shalt thou have worship in the presence of them that sit at meat with thee.

Cross-references

Proverbs 25:6 Do not exalt yourself in the presence of the king, and do not stand in the place of great men;
Proverbs 15:33 The fear of the LORD is the instruction of wisdom, and humility comes before honor.
Isaiah 60:14 The sons of your oppressors will come and bow down to you; all who reviled you will fall facedown at your feet and call you the City of the LORD, Zion of the Holy One of Israel.
1 Samuel 15:17 And Samuel said, “Although you were once small in your own eyes, have you not become the head of the tribes of Israel? The LORD anointed you king over Israel
Revelation 3:9 As for those who belong to the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews but are liars instead, I will make them come and bow down at your feet, and they will know that I love you.