Luke 12:5

5 But I will warn you whom to fear: fear him ¹who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell. ^[a] Yes, I tell you, fear him!

Luke 12:5 Meaning and Commentary

Luke 12:5

But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear,
I will be your monitor, and direct you to the proper object of fear and reverence, and whom you should be careful to displease and offend:

fear him, which after he hath killed;
your body, as the Persic version adds; hath taken away the life of it, by separating soul and body asunder, by sending one disease or another, or death in one shape or another:

hath power to cast into hell;
your soul, as the above version also adds; yea, to destroy both body and soul in hell, as in (See Gill on Matthew 10:28)

yea, I say unto you, fear him;
and none else, not with a servile, but with a filial fear.

Luke 12:5 In-Context

3 Therefore whatever you have said in the dark shall be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in private rooms shall be proclaimed on the housetops.

4 “I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that have nothing more that they can do.

5 But I will warn you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him!

6 Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? And not one of them is forgotten before God.

7 Why, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows.

Cross References

• 1. 12:5 James 4:12

Footnotes

• [a] 12:5 Greek 'Gehenna'