Luke 16:31

31 He said to him, ‘If they do not hear ¹Moses and the Prophets, ²neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead. ’”

Luke 16:31 Meaning and Commentary

Luke 16:31

And he said unto him.
&c.] That is, Abraham said unto him, as the Syriac, Persic, and Ethiopic versions express it:

if they hear not Moses and the prophets;
as they did not, nor regarded what they said of Christ, but disbelieved both him and them:

neither will they be persuaded:
or brought to repent and believe;

though one rose from the dead;
as Christ did; whose resurrection, the truth of it they endeavoured to baffle, stifle, and suppress: this was the sign Christ gave them, of the truth of his Messiahship; and yet they repented not of what they had done to him, that they might believe in him; but remained still in their impenitence and infidelity, and so died. This shows the regard that ought to be had to the written word, as read, or preached; and that it is a sad sign of a desperate condition, when men reject divine revelation. Beza's ancient copy adds, "and should go unto them".

Luke 16:31 In-Context

29 But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them. ’

30 And he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent. ’

31 He said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead. ’”

Cross References

• 1. 16:31 [See ver. 29 above]
• 2. 16:31 [Matt. 28:11-15; John 12:10, 11]