Bible Strands
Luke 9:45
But they did not understand this statement. It was veiled from them so that they could not comprehend it, and they were afraid to ask Him about it.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Jesus addresses his disciples immediately after forecasting his betrayal in Luke 9:44 and before they begin disputing about greatness in Luke 9:46.
The words — ἠγνόουν (ēgnōoun) denotes "they were not understanding," and ῥῆμα (rhēma) identifies the specific "declaration" Jesus just uttered.
The thread — The text records this same dynamic in Mark 9:32 and Luke 18:34, where the disciples fail to grasp Jesus' passion predictions and fear to ask, and in Luke 2:50, where Mary and Joseph similarly do not understand his statement about his Father's house.
Why it lands — The text reports the disciples' inability to comprehend Jesus' words and their reluctance to ask for clarification, which requires the reader to accept that divine revelation operates independently of human readiness and that fear actively suppresses inquiry.
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 they understood not this saying, and it was hid from them, that they perceived it not: and they feared to ask him of that saying.
Cross-references
- Luke 18:34 But the disciples did not understand any of these things. The meaning was hidden from them, and they did not comprehend what He was saying.
- Luke 2:50 But they did not understand the statement He was making to them.
- Mark 9:32 But they did not understand this statement, and they were afraid to ask Him about it.
- John 12:16 At first His disciples did not understand these things, but after Jesus was glorified they remembered what had been done to Him, and they realized that these very things had also been written about Him.
- Mark 9:10 So they kept this matter to themselves, discussing what it meant to rise from the dead.
- John 16:17 Then some of His disciples asked one another, “Why is He telling us, ‘In a little while you will not see Me, and then after a little while you will see Me’ and ‘Because I am going to the Father’?”
- 2 Corinthians 3:14 But their minds were closed. For to this day the same veil remains at the reading of the old covenant. It has not been lifted, because only in Christ can it be removed.
- Matthew 16:22 Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him. “Far be it from You, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to You!”
- Mark 8:16 So they began to discuss with one another the fact that they had no bread.
- Mark 8:32 He spoke this message quite frankly, and Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him.