Bible Strands
Luke 14:28
Which of you, wishing to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost to see if he has the resources to complete it?
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Jesus addresses a large crowd gathered to hear His teaching on discipleship, placing this illustration immediately after His command to take up one’s cross.
The words — The Greek `οἰκοδομῆσαι` (oikodomēsai) means to build, coupled with `πύργον` (purgon), a tower, which frames the illustration around a construction project.
The thread — The passage shares its emphasis on preparation with Proverbs 24:27, its warning about perseverance under opposition with Matthew 10:22, and its reminder of human limitation with Joshua 24:19.
Why it lands — The text states that a person must first sit down and calculate whether they possess the resources to finish before beginning, demanding that a reader assess the practical demands of discipleship before committing.
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 which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it?
Cross-references
- Proverbs 24:27 Complete your outdoor work and prepare your field; after that, you may build your house.
- Matthew 10:22 You will be hated by everyone because of My name, but the one who perseveres to the end will be saved.
- Joshua 24:19 But Joshua said to the people, “You are not able to serve the LORD, for He is a holy God; He is a jealous God; He will not forgive your rebellion or your sins.
- Luke 14:33 In the same way, any one of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be My disciple.
- Matthew 8:20 Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay His head.”
- Matthew 20:22 “You do not know what you are asking,” Jesus replied. “Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?” “We can,” the brothers answered.
- Acts 21:13 Then Paul answered, “Why are you weeping and breaking my heart? I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.”
- Genesis 11:4 “Come,” they said, “let us build for ourselves a city with a tower that reaches to the heavens, that we may make a name for ourselves and not be scattered over the face of all the earth.”
- 1 Thessalonians 3:4 Indeed, when we were with you, we kept warning you that we would suffer persecution; and as you know, it has come to pass.
- 2 Peter 1:13 I think it is right to refresh your memory as long as I live in the tent of my body,