Luke 12:54

Interpreting the Time

54 He also said to the crowds, ¹"When you see ²a cloud rising in the west, you say at once, 'A shower is coming.' And so it happens.

Luke 12:54 Meaning and Commentary

Luke 12:54

And he said also to the people
For what Christ had before said, were chiefly, if not solely, directed to his disciples; but now he turned himself to the innumerable multitude that were about him, and particularly addressed himself to the Scribes and Pharisees that were among them:

when ye see a cloud rise out of the west;
the watery vapours being attracted by the heat of the sun, out of the Mediterranean Sea, which lies west of the land of Judea, and formed into a cloud, and drove by the wind:

straightway ye say there comes a shower;
as soon as it is seen, it is presently concluded and affirmed, that a very heavy shower will soon fall, it having been frequently observed so to do, when this has been the case:

and so it is;
for the most part, there commonly follows a large shower on such an appearance, and they were seldom mistaken in their conclusions.

Luke 12:54 In-Context

52 For from now on in one house there will be five divided, three against two and two against three.

53 They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law."

54 He also said to the crowds, "When you see a cloud rising in the west, you say at once, 'A shower is coming.' And so it happens.

55 And when you see the south wind blowing, you say, 'There will be scorching heat,' and it happens.

56 You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of earth and sky, but why do you not know how to interpret the present time?

Cross References

• 1. [Matthew 16:2, 3]
• 2. 1 Kings 18:43, 44