Luke 6:49

But the one who hears My words and does not act on them is like a man who built his house on ground without a foundation. The torrent crashed against that house, and immediately it fell—and great was its destruction!”

Berean Standard Bible

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Study note

Setting — Jesus addresses the crowds and disciples at the conclusion of his Sermon on the Plain, contrasting the preceding illustration of the house built on rock with this warning about hearing without obedience.

The words — ἀκούσας (akousas) and ποιήσας (poiēsas) literally mean “having heard” and “having done.” The text places these actions in direct opposition to describe a person who listens but refuses to act.

The thread — The pattern of hearing without practice appears in Ezekiel 33:31 and James 1:22, while the rocky soil metaphor in Matthew 13:20 parallels the immediate reception of the word without enduring obedience.

Why it lands — The text describes a house that collapses immediately when the torrent crashes against it due to lacking a foundation. It requires the reader to verify that their response to Jesus' words produces a stable foundation rather than inviting collapse under pressure.

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

But he that heareth, and doeth not, is like a man that without a foundation built an house upon the earth; against which the stream did beat vehemently, and immediately it fell; and the ruin of that house was great.

Cross-references

Ezekiel 33:31 So My people come to you as usual, sit before you, and hear your words; but they do not put them into practice. Although they express love with their mouths, their hearts pursue dishonest gain.
James 1:22 Be doers of the word, and not hearers only. Otherwise, you are deceiving yourselves.
Matthew 13:20 The seed sown on rocky ground is the one who hears the word and at once receives it with joy.
Matthew 23:3 So practice and observe everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach.
2 Peter 1:5 For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith virtue; and to virtue, knowledge;
1 John 2:3 By this we can be sure that we have come to know Him: if we keep His commandments.
Proverbs 28:18 He who walks with integrity will be kept safe, but whoever is perverse in his ways will suddenly fall.
Mark 4:17 But they themselves have no root, and they remain for only a season. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away.
Luke 6:46 Why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ but do not do what I say?
Luke 8:5 “A farmer went out to sow his seed. And as he was sowing, some seed fell along the path, where it was trampled, and the birds of the air devoured it.