Luca 9:18

18 Or avvenne che mentr’egli stava pregando in disparte, i discepoli erano con lui; ed egli domandò loro: Chi dicono le turbe ch’io sia?

Luca 9:18 Meaning and Commentary

Luke 9:18

And it came to pass, as he was alone praying
To his God and Father, for himself as man, and mediator; for the success of his Gospel, and the increase of his interest; and for his disciples, that they might have a clearer revelation of him; and which they had, as appears in their after confession of him by Peter, as the mouth of them all. The place where he now retired for private devotion, was somewhere in the coasts of Caesarea Philippi; for he was now gone from the desert of Bethsaida, as appears from ( Matthew 16:13 ) and when he is said to be alone, the meaning is, that he was retired from the multitude, but not from his disciples; for it follows,

his disciples were with him,
in this solitary place:

and he asked them,
being with them alone;

saying, Whom say the people that I am?
what are the sentiments of the common people, or of the people in general concerning me? The Alexandrian copy, and the Arabic version read, "men", as in ( Matthew 16:13 ) . (See Gill on Matthew 16:13).

Luca 9:18 In-Context

16 Poi Gesù prese i cinque pani e i due pesci; e levati gli occhi al cielo, li benedisse, li spezzò e li dava ai suoi discepoli per metterli dinanzi alla gente.

17 E tutti mangiarono e furon sazi; e de’ pezzi loro avanzati si portaron via dodici ceste.

18 Or avvenne che mentr’egli stava pregando in disparte, i discepoli erano con lui; ed egli domandò loro: Chi dicono le turbe ch’io sia?

19 E quelli risposero: Gli uni dicono Giovanni Battista; altri, Elia; ed altri, uno dei profeti antichi risuscitato.

20 Ed egli disse loro: E voi, chi dite ch’io sia? E Pietro, rispondendo, disse: Il Cristo di Dio.