Luke 9:56

56 For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men's lives but to save them." And they went to another village.

Luke 9:56 Meaning and Commentary

Luke 9:56

For the son of man
Meaning himself, in his state of humiliation:

is not come to destroy men's lives;
the word "men's" is omitted in the Vulgate Latin, Syriac, and Persic versions: and both words, "men's lives", are left out in the Arabic version:

but to save them;
as they might easily observe, by his casting out devils from the bodies of men, and healing all sorts of diseases: and therefore, though it was agreeably to the legal dispensation, and the times of Elijah, to punish offenders in such a manner, it was not agreeably to the Gospel dispensation, and to the ends of the Messiah's coming into the world: so far in this verse, and the latter part of the former verse, are left out in five ancient copies of Beza's, and in the Ethiopic version, but are in the rest of the Eastern versions, and in other copies, and are rightly retained:

and they went to another village;
in Samaria, more civil and courteous, and less prejudiced, and where they got lodging and entertainment.

Luke 9:56 In-Context

54 And when His disciples James and John saw this, they said, "Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, just as Elijah did?"
55 But He turned and rebuked them, and said, "You do not know what manner of spirit you are of.
56 For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men's lives but to save them." And they went to another village.
57 Now it happened as they journeyed on the road, that someone said to Him, "Lord, I will follow You wherever You go."
58 And Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head."

Footnotes 1

  • [a]. NU-Text omits the first sentence of this verse.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.