Luke 18:34

But the disciples did not understand any of these things. The meaning was hidden from them, and they did not comprehend what He was saying.

Berean Standard Bible

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Study note

Setting — Jesus addresses His disciples immediately after predicting His flogging, death, and third-day resurrection. The narrative places the group in transit toward Jerusalem, just before the healing of the blind man at Jericho.

The words — συνῆκαν (sunēkan) means understood, and ἦν (ēn) means was. These verbs anchor the statement that the disciples failed to grasp the prophecy and that its meaning remained concealed.

The thread — The disciples' lack of comprehension recurs in Luke 9:45, Mark 9:32, and Luke 2:50. Each passage records Jesus speaking and the disciples failing to understand the statement at that moment.

Why it lands — The text states the disciples did not understand and the meaning was hidden from them. It requires readers to accept that revelation can precede human grasp without demanding immediate clarity.

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

καὶkaiAnd αὐτοὶautoithey themselves οὐδὲνoudenno [thing]τούτωνtoutōnof these things συνῆκαν,sunēkanunderstood,καὶkaiand ἦνēnwas τὸto<the>ῥῆμαrhēmadeclaration τοῦτοtoutothis κεκρυμμένονkekrummenonhidden ἀπ᾽ap᾽from αὐτῶν,autōnthem,καὶkaiand οὐκoukneither ἐγίνωσκονeginōskonthey were knowing τὰtathe [things]λεγόμενα.¶legomenabeing spoken.

King James Version

And they understood none of these things: and this saying was hid from them, neither knew they the things which were spoken.

Cross-references

Luke 9:45 But they did not understand this statement. It was veiled from them so that they could not comprehend it, and they were afraid to ask Him about it.
Mark 9:32 But they did not understand this statement, and they were afraid to ask Him about it.
Luke 2:50 But they did not understand the statement He was making to them.
Luke 24:25 Then Jesus said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken!
Luke 24:45 Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures.
John 12:16 At first His disciples did not understand these things, but after Jesus was glorified they remembered what had been done to Him, and they realized that these very things had also been written about Him.
John 16:1 “I have told you these things so that you will not fall away.
John 10:6 Jesus spoke to them using this illustration, but they did not understand what He was telling them.