Luke 7:12

As He approached the town gate, He saw a dead man being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the town was with her.

Berean Standard Bible

Follow its threads on the canvas →

Study note

Setting — Jesus arrives at the gate of Nain and observes a funeral procession carrying out a dead man. The deceased is the widow’s only son, accompanied by a large town crowd.

The words — ἤγγισεν (ēngisen) translates literally as “He drew near,” marking Jesus’ physical approach to the scene. δὲ (de) functions as a narrative connector, shifting the focus to the widow’s loss.

The thread — The motif of a widow’s only son being carried out appears in Luke 7:12 and parallels the grief over a dying child in Luke 8:42 and Luke 8:52. The theme of an only son also echoes the command to Abraham in Genesis 22:2.

Why it lands — The text records a specific moment of public loss before any intervention occurs. It demands recognition of human grief as the factual backdrop for divine action.

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

Now when he came nigh to the gate of the city, behold, there was a dead man carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow: and much people of the city was with her.

Cross-references

Luke 8:42 because his only daughter, who was about twelve, was dying. As Jesus went with him, the crowds pressed around Him,
Luke 8:52 Meanwhile, everyone was weeping and mourning for her. But Jesus said, “Stop weeping; she is not dead but asleep.”
Genesis 22:2 “Take your son,” God said, “your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah. Offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains, which I will show you.”
Genesis 22:12 “Do not lay a hand on the boy or do anything to him,” said the angel, “for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your only son from me.”
2 Samuel 14:7 Now the whole clan has risen up against your maidservant and said, ‘Hand over the one who struck down his brother, that we may put him to death for the life of the brother whom he killed. Then we will cut off the heir as well!’ So they would extinguish my one remaining ember by not preserving my husband’s name or posterity on the earth.”
1 Kings 17:9 “Get up and go to Zarephath of Sidon, and stay there. Behold, I have commanded a widow there to provide for you.”
1 Kings 17:12 But she replied, “As surely as the LORD your God lives, I have no bread—only a handful of flour in a jar and a little oil in a jug. Look, I am gathering a couple of sticks to take home and prepare a meal for myself and my son, so that we may eat it and die.”
1 Kings 17:18 “O man of God,” said the woman to Elijah, “what have you done to me? Have you come to remind me of my iniquity and cause the death of my son?”
2 Kings 4:16 And Elisha declared, “At this time next year, you will hold a son in your arms.” “No, my lord,” she said. “Do not lie to your maidservant, O man of God.”
2 Kings 4:20 After the servant had picked him up and carried him to his mother, the boy sat on her lap until noon, and then he died.