Luke 9:54

54 When the disciples James and John saw this, they asked, “Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them^[a] ?”

Luke 9:54 in Other Translations

54 And when his disciples James and John saw this, they said, Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them, even as Elias did?

54 And when his disciples James and John saw it, they said, "Lord, do you want us to tell fire to come down from heaven and consume them?"

54 When James and John saw this, they said to Jesus, “Lord, should we call down fire from heaven to burn them up ?”

54 When the disciples James and John learned of it, they said, "Master, do you want us to call a bolt of lightning down out of the sky and incinerate them?"

54 When the disciples James and John saw this, they said, "Lord, do You want us to call down fire from heaven to consume them?"

Luke 9:54 Meaning and Commentary

Luke 9:54

And when his disciples, James and John, saw this
The Persic version reads thus; when "James and John, and the disciples saw this"; that is, the other disciples besides them, so making all the disciples say what follows; whereas only those two are intended, who having been the messengers, were the more provoked at this indignity to their Lord and master:

they said, Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from
heaven, and consume them;
being enraged at this conduct of the Samaritans towards, Christ, and burning with love to him, and zeal for his honour; being "Boanerges's", sons of thunder, they were for punishing of them in a most terrible manner, even with, fire from heaven; by which Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities of the plain, were destroyed: this they doubted not of doing, knowing what miraculous power was conferred upon them; but did not think proper to attempt to exert it, until they had asked leave of Christ to do it:

even as Elias did;
upon the two captains of fifties, with their fifties, as recorded in ( 2 Kings 1:9-12 ) This clause was wanting in a certain copy of Beza's, and is not in the Vulgate Latin version; but is in other copies and versions, and by all means to be retained.

Luke 9:54 In-Context

52 And he sent messengers on ahead, who went into a Samaritan village to get things ready for him;

53 but the people there did not welcome him, because he was heading for Jerusalem.

54 When the disciples James and John saw this, they asked, “Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them ?”

55 But Jesus turned and rebuked them.

56 Then he and his disciples went to another village.

Cross References

• 1. S Matthew 4:21
• 2. 2 Kings 1:10,12

Footnotes

• [a]. Some manuscripts "them, just as Elijah did"