Luke 20:5

5 They talked about this among themselves. They said, "If we say, 'from heaven,' he will ask, 'Why didn't you believe him?'

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, "I, too, have a question for you. Tell me,

4 did John's right to baptize come from heaven or from humans?"

5 They talked about this among themselves. They said, "If we say, 'from heaven,' he will ask, 'Why didn't you believe him?'

6 But if we say, 'from humans,' everyone will stone us to death. They're convinced that John was a prophet."

7 So they answered that they didn't know who gave John the right to baptize.