Luke 14:5

And He asked them, “Which of you whose son or ox falls into a pit on the Sabbath day will not immediately pull him out?”

Berean Standard Bible

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Study note

Setting — Jesus speaks to the Pharisees and experts in the law immediately after healing a man with dropsy on the Sabbath. He poses a rhetorical question to them while they remain silent.

The words — ἀποκριθεὶς (apokritheis) translates literally to "answering," and υἱὸς (huios) means "son." Jesus uses these terms to frame a practical question about immediate rescue.

The thread — The text parallels Luke 13:15, which cites untieing an ox or donkey on the Sabbath, and Matthew 12:11, which cites lifting a sheep from a pit. Exodus 23:4 establishes the underlying principle of returning a stray animal.

Why it lands — The text states that immediate rescue of a son or ox from a pit is expected on the Sabbath. A reader must apply that same standard of urgent mercy to the man Jesus just healed.

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 answered them, saying, Which of you shall have an ass or an ox fallen into a pit, and will not straightway pull him out on the sabbath day?

Cross-references

Luke 13:15 “You hypocrites!” the Lord replied. “Does not each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or donkey from the stall and lead it to water?
Exodus 23:4 If you encounter your enemy’s stray ox or donkey, you must return it to him.
Matthew 12:11 He replied, “If one of you has a sheep and it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will he not take hold of it and lift it out?
Daniel 4:24 This is the interpretation, O king, and this is the decree that the Most High has issued against my lord the king: