Luke 20:5

5 They started to argue among themselves, "What shall we say? If we say, "From God,' he will say, "Why, then, did you not believe John?'

Luke 20:5 Meaning and Commentary

Luke 20:5

And they reasoned with themselves
Or "they thought with themselves", as the Syriac version; or "within themselves", as the Vulgate Latin, though they did not express it; or "one with another", as the Arabic version; they took counsel together, and debated the matter among themselves, and reasoned after this manner:

saying, if we shall say from heaven;
which was what, in their own consciences, they believed to be true,

he will say, why then believed ye him not?
in what he said concerning the Messiah; which if they had, as they should, there would have been no reason for such a question they had put; (See Gill on Matthew 21:25).

Luke 20:5 In-Context

3 Jesus answered them, "Now let me ask you a question. Tell me,

4 did John's right to baptize come from God or from human beings?"

5 They started to argue among themselves, "What shall we say? If we say, "From God,' he will say, "Why, then, did you not believe John?'

6 But if we say, "From human beings,' this whole crowd here will stone us, because they are convinced that John was a prophet."

7 So they answered, "We don't know where it came from."