Luke 9:18

One day as Jesus was praying in private and the disciples were with Him, He questioned them: “Who do the crowds say I am?”

Berean Standard Bible

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Study note

Setting — Jesus addresses His disciples while engaged in private prayer, asking what the surrounding crowds claim about His identity. This question follows the feeding of the five thousand, where the disciples had collected twelve basketfuls of leftover fragments.

The words — προσευχόμενον (proseuchomenon) indicates the ongoing act of praying, and κατὰ (kata) functions as a preposition denoting manner or location. These terms tie the inquiry directly to the moment of Jesus’ solitary devotion.

The thread — The question echoes the public identity inquiries found in Matthew 16:13 and Mark 8:27. The disciples’ report of crowd opinions regarding John the Baptist and Elijah is recorded in Luke 9:19.

Why it lands — The text presents a factual survey of public opinion before moving toward personal confession. A reader must confront the gap between popular labels and the demand for a direct answer about Jesus.

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 it came to pass, as he was alone praying, his disciples were with him: and he asked them, saying, Whom say the people that I am?

Cross-references

Matthew 16:13 When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, He questioned His disciples: “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”
Mark 8:27 Then Jesus and His disciples went on to the villages around Caesarea Philippi. On the way, He questioned His disciples: “Who do people say I am?”
Matthew 26:36 Then Jesus went with His disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and He told them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.”
Luke 11:1 One day in a place where Jesus had just finished praying, one of His disciples requested, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”
Luke 22:39 Jesus went out as usual to the Mount of Olives, and the disciples followed Him.