Bible Strands
Luke 20:7
So they answered that they did not know where it was from.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The chief priests and scribes, questioned by Jesus about the origin of John’s baptism, reply to him that they do not know its source. This exchange occurs in Jerusalem during Jesus’ final week as religious leaders attempt to trap him regarding his authority.
The words — The Greek ἀπεκρίθησαν (apekrithēsan) translates literally to “they answered,” while πόθεν (pothen) denotes “from where.” Together they record a direct verbal response to a pointed inquiry.
The thread — This admission of ignorance aligns with Isaiah 41:28, Isaiah 42:19, and Isaiah 6:9, which similarly depict leaders who lack insight or refuse to perceive divine counsel. These passages trace a consistent biblical pattern of spiritual unresponsiveness among those tasked with guiding others.
Why it lands — The text first records the leaders’ explicit refusal to acknowledge John’s prophetic origin before implying the consequence of that evasion. It asks a reader to recognize that political calculation cannot substitute for honest engagement with divine authority.
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 answered, that they could not tell whence it was.
Cross-references
- Isaiah 41:28 When I look, there is no one; there is no counselor among them; when I ask them, they have nothing to say.
- Isaiah 42:19 Who is blind but My servant, or deaf like the messenger I am sending? Who is blind like My covenant partner, or blind like the servant of the LORD?
- Isaiah 6:9 And He replied: “Go and tell this people, ‘Be ever hearing, but never understanding; be ever seeing, but never perceiving.’
- Isaiah 26:11 O LORD, Your hand is upraised, but they do not see it. They will see Your zeal for Your people and be put to shame. The fire set for Your enemies will consume them!
- Isaiah 29:14 Therefore I will again confound these people with wonder upon wonder. The wisdom of the wise will vanish, and the intelligence of the intelligent will be hidden.”
- Isaiah 44:18 They do not comprehend or discern, for He has shut their eyes so they cannot see and closed their minds so they cannot understand.
- Jeremiah 8:7 Even the stork in the sky knows her appointed seasons. The turtledove, the swift, and the thrush keep their time of migration, but My people do not know the requirements of the LORD.
- Zechariah 11:15 And the LORD said to me: “Take up once more the equipment of a foolish shepherd.
- Malachi 2:7 For the lips of a priest should preserve knowledge, and people should seek instruction from his mouth, because he is the messenger of the LORD of Hosts.
- John 3:19 And this is the verdict: The Light has come into the world, but men loved the darkness rather than the Light because their deeds were evil.