Luke 20:5

5 οἱ δὲ συνελογίσαντο πρὸς ἑαυτοὺς λέγοντες ὅτι Ἐὰν εἴπωμεν · Ἐξ οὐρανοῦ, ἐρεῖ · Διὰ τί οὐκ ἐπιστεύσατε αὐτῷ;

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 ἀποκριθεὶς δὲ εἶπεν πρὸς αὐτούς · Ἐρωτήσω ὑμᾶς κἀγὼ λόγον, καὶ εἴπατέ μοι ·

4 Τὸ βάπτισμα Ἰωάννου ἐξ οὐρανοῦ ἦν ἢ ἐξ ἀνθρώπων;

5 οἱ δὲ συνελογίσαντο πρὸς ἑαυτοὺς λέγοντες ὅτι Ἐὰν εἴπωμεν · Ἐξ οὐρανοῦ, ἐρεῖ · Διὰ τί οὐκ ἐπιστεύσατε αὐτῷ;

6 ἐὰν δὲ εἴπωμεν · Ἐξ ἀνθρώπων, ὁ λαὸς ἅπας ⸃ καταλιθάσει ἡμᾶς, πεπεισμένος γάρ ἐστιν Ἰωάννην προφήτην εἶναι ·

7 καὶ ἀπεκρίθησαν μὴ εἰδέναι πόθεν.