Bible Strands
Luke 21:14
So make up your mind not to worry beforehand how to defend yourselves.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Jesus addresses his disciples regarding the imminent trials and persecutions they will face. He places this command directly between the promise of witness (Luke 21:13) and the guarantee of divinely given speech (Luke 21:15).
The words — προμελετᾶν (promeletan) means to premeditate or prepare beforehand, and καρδίαις (kardiais) refers to the heart as the center of resolve. The text literally commands implanting a fixed decision in the heart to refrain from anxious preparation.
The thread — This prohibition against premeditated defense runs through the Synoptic parallels: Mark 13:11, Luke 12:11, and Matthew 10:19. Each passage couples the command to stop worrying with the promise that speech will be divinely supplied in the moment.
Why it lands — The verse demands a deliberate internal stance that rejects self-directed preparation. It requires the reader to resolve against anxious calculation and accept the provided words as sufficient.
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
Settle it therefore in your hearts, not to meditate before what ye shall answer:
Cross-references
- Mark 13:11 But when they arrest you and hand you over, do not worry beforehand what to say. Instead, speak whatever you are given at that time, for it will not be you speaking, but the Holy Spirit.
- Luke 12:11 When you are brought before synagogues, rulers, and authorities, do not worry about how to defend yourselves or what to say.
- Matthew 10:19 But when they hand you over, do not worry about how to respond or what to say. In that hour you will be given what to say.