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Luke7:18–23

John’s Inquiry

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Luke 7:18–23 — John’s Inquiry. Each verse below carries the full apparatus: the Berean Standard Bible, the vocalized original (tap any word), and a parsed breakdown of every term transcribed from the interlinear. Synthesized commentary, canonical threads, and the reading of Christ gather at the end, over the whole unit.

18

Then John’s disciples informed him about all these things.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Greek — tap a word ↓

Kai autou hoi mathētai apēngeilan Iōannē peri pantōn toutōn

Word by word9 · parsed
ΚαὶKaiThenG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
Narrative link: Luke ties the inquiry directly to the preceding miracles.
αὐτοῦautou[John’s]G846
√ αὐτός — the reflexive pronoun self, used (alone or in the comparative G1438 (ἑαυτοῦ)) of the third person , and (with the proper personal pronoun) of the other personsPersonal / Possessive PronounGenitive Masculine 3rd Person Singular
οἱhoiG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleNominative Masculine Plural
μαθηταὶmathētaidisciplesG3101
√ μαθητής — a learner, iNounNominative Masculine Plural
mathētēs: learner, disciple John still has a circle of his own learners, distinct from the Twelve (compare 5:33; 11:1). Their existence as a separate school is the human setting for the question.
ἀπήγγειλανapēngeilaninformedG518
√ ἀπαγγέλλω — to announceVerbAorist Indicative Active3rd Person Plural
apangellō: to report, announce (aorist) The verb of the messenger’s return. It is answered at v. 22 by the same verb in the imperative: report is met by counter-report, and John is given facts, not argument.
ἸωάννῃIōannē[him]G2491
√ Ἰωάννης — Joannes (iNounDative Masculine Singular
περὶperiaboutG4012
√ περί — properly, through (all over), iPreposition
πάντωνpantōnallG3956
√ πᾶς — all, any, every, the wholeAdjectiveGenitive Neuter Plural
pas: all “All these things” gathers 7:1 to 17 (a Gentile’s servant healed, a dead man raised) into the report that reaches the prison.
τούτωνtoutōnthese thingsG3778
√ οὗτος — the he (she or it), iDemonstrative PronounGenitive Neuter Plural
19

So John called two of his disciples and sent them to ask the Lord, “Are You the One who was to come, or should we look for someone else?”

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Greek — tap a word ↓

kai Iōannēs proskalesamenos tinas dyo tōn autou mathētōn ho epempsen pros legōn ton Kyrion ei Sy ho erchomenos ē prosdokōmen allon

Word by word21 · parsed
καὶkaiSoG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
ἸωάννηςIōannēsJohnG2491
√ Ἰωάννης — Joannes (iNounNominative Masculine Singular
προσκαλεσάμενοςproskalesamenoscalledG4341
√ προσκαλέομαι — to call toward oneself, iVerbAorist Participle MiddleNominative Masculine Singular
proskaleomai: to summon to oneself (aorist middle) John acts with deliberation: he calls, selects two, sends. Two is the number of valid witness (Deut 19:15), and Gill notes they were enough to bear witness to what they saw.
τινὰςtinasvvvG5100
√ τὶς — some or any person or objectInterrogative / Indefinite PronounAccusative Masculine Plural
δύοdyotwoG1417
√ δύο — "two"AdjectiveAccusative Masculine Plural
Two messengers: a legally sufficient pair of witnesses.
τῶνtōnofG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleGenitive Masculine Plural
αὐτοῦautouhisG846
√ αὐτός — the reflexive pronoun self, used (alone or in the comparative G1438 (ἑαυτοῦ)) of the third person , and (with the proper personal pronoun) of the other personsPersonal / Possessive PronounGenitive Masculine 3rd Person Singular
μαθητῶνmathētōndisciplesG3101
√ μαθητής — a learner, iNounGenitive Masculine Plural
ὁhoG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleNominative Masculine Singular
ἔπεμψενepempsen[and] sent [them]G3992
√ πέμπω — to dispatch (from the subjective view or point of departure, whereas (as a stronger form of ) refers rather to the objective point or terminus ad quem, and G4724 (στέλλω) denotes properly, the orderly motion involved), especially on a temporary errandVerbAorist Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
pempō: to send (aorist) John, himself the one “sent” before the Lord (7:27), now sends; the herald sends to ask the King.
πρὸςprostoG4314
√ πρός — a preposition of directionPreposition
λέγωνlegōnaskG3004
√ λέγω — properly, to "lay" forth, iVerbPresent Participle ActiveNominative Masculine Singular
τὸνtontheG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleAccusative Masculine Singular
ΚύριονKyrionLordG2962
√ κύριος — supreme in authority, iNounAccusative Masculine Singular
kyrios: lord, master Luke’s narrative title for Jesus (compare 7:13). Its placement here sets the reader’s confession beside John’s question.
εἶeiAreG1510
√ εἰμί — I exist (used only when emphatic)VerbPresent Indicative Active2nd Person Singular
eimi: to be (present, 2nd singular) With the emphatic Sy (“thou”) the question is personal: not “has the Messiah come?” but “are you he?”
ΣὺSyYouG4771
√ σύ — thouPersonal / Possessive PronounNominative 2nd Person Singular
ὁhotheG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleNominative Masculine Singular
ἐρχόμενοςerchomenosOne who was to comeG2064
√ ἔρχομαι — to come or go (in a great variety of applications, literally and figuratively)VerbPresent Participle Middle or PassiveNominative Masculine Singular
erchomai: to come (present participle) “The Coming One.” John himself had announced “one mightier than I is coming” (Luke 3:16, erchetai), and Psalm 118:26 stands behind the title (“Blessed is he who comes,” cited at Luke 13:35; 19:38). John is asking whether his own proclamation has found its subject.
ἢēorG2228
√ ἤ — disjunctive, orConjunction
προσδοκῶμενprosdokōmenshould we look forG4328
√ προσδοκάω — to anticipate (in thought, hope or fear)VerbPresent Indicative Active1st Person Plural
prosdokaō: to expect, wait for (present) The word of Israel’s messianic waiting (3:15); Simeon and Anna’s generation “waited” with a related verb, prosdechomai (2:25, 38). In 15 verses only; its use here puts John among the waiting faithful, not the scoffers.
ἄλλονallonsomeone elseG243
√ ἄλλος — "else," iAdjectiveAccusative Masculine Singular
allos: another The alternative is real in the question’s form, though not in its answer.
20

When the men came to Jesus, they said, “John the Baptist sent us to ask, ‘Are You the One who was to come, or should we look for someone else?’”

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Greek — tap a word ↓

de hoi andres Paragenomenoi pros auton eipan Iōannēs ho Baptistēs apesteilen hēmas pros legōn se ei Sy ho erchomenos ē prosdokōmen allon

Word by word22 · parsed
δὲde[When]G1161
√ δέ — but, and, etcConjunction
οἱhoitheG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleNominative Masculine Plural
ἄνδρεςandresmenG435
√ ἀνήρ — a man (properly as an individual male)NounNominative Masculine Plural
anēr: man Luke calls them “the men,” the formal word for witnesses and envoys.
ΠαραγενόμενοιParagenomenoicameG3854
√ παραγίνομαι — to become near, iVerbAorist Participle MiddleNominative Masculine Plural
paraginomai: to arrive, come near A favorite Lukan verb of arrival.
πρὸςprostoG4314
√ πρός — a preposition of directionPreposition
αὐτὸνauton[Jesus]G846
√ αὐτός — the reflexive pronoun self, used (alone or in the comparative G1438 (ἑαυτοῦ)) of the third person , and (with the proper personal pronoun) of the other personsPersonal / Possessive PronounAccusative Masculine 3rd Person Singular
εἶπανeipanthey saidG2036
√ ἔπω — to speak or say (by word or writing)VerbAorist Indicative Active3rd Person Plural
ἸωάννηςIōannēsJohnG2491
√ Ἰωάννης — Joannes (iNounNominative Masculine Singular
ὁhotheG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleNominative Masculine Singular
ΒαπτιστὴςBaptistēsBaptistG910
√ Βαπτιστής — a baptizer, as an epithet of Christ's forerunnerNounNominative Masculine Singular
Baptistēs: baptizer The forerunner’s office title; Luke uses it of John at 7:20, 33 and 9:19.
ἀπέστειλενapesteilensentG649
√ ἀποστέλλω — set apart, iVerbAorist Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
apostellō: to send on commission (aorist) Stronger than pempō in v. 19: the messengers present themselves as authorized envoys carrying their master’s exact words.
ἡμᾶςhēmasusG1473
√ ἐγώ — I, mePersonal / Possessive PronounAccusative 1st Person Plural
πρὸςprostoG4314
√ πρός — a preposition of directionPreposition
λέγωνlegōnaskG3004
√ λέγω — properly, to "lay" forth, iVerbPresent Participle ActiveNominative Masculine Singular
σὲseG4771
√ σύ — thouPersonal / Possessive PronounAccusative 2nd Person Singular
εἶeiAreG1510
√ εἰμί — I exist (used only when emphatic)VerbPresent Indicative Active2nd Person Singular
ΣὺSyYouG4771
√ σύ — thouPersonal / Possessive PronounNominative 2nd Person Singular
ὁhotheG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleNominative Masculine Singular
ἐρχόμενοςerchomenosOne who was to comeG2064
√ ἔρχομαι — to come or go (in a great variety of applications, literally and figuratively)VerbPresent Participle Middle or PassiveNominative Masculine Singular
erchomai: the Coming One The messianic title repeated verbatim; see note on v. 19.
ἢēorG2228
√ ἤ — disjunctive, orConjunction
προσδοκῶμενprosdokōmenshould we look forG4328
√ προσδοκάω — to anticipate (in thought, hope or fear)VerbPresent Indicative Active1st Person Plural
ἄλλονallonsomeone elseG243
√ ἄλλος — "else," iAdjectiveAccusative Masculine Singular
21

At that very hour Jesus healed many people of their diseases, afflictions, and evil spirits, and He gave sight to many who were blind.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Greek — tap a word ↓

En ekeinē tē hōra etherapeusen pollous apo nosōn kai mastigōn kai ponērōn pneumatōn kai echarisato blepein pollois typhlois

Word by word18 · parsed
ἘνEnAtG1722
√ ἐν — "in," at, (up-)on, by, etcPreposition
ἐκείνῃekeinēthat veryG1565
√ ἐκεῖνος — that one (or (neuter) thing)Demonstrative PronounDative Feminine Singular
τῇtēG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleDative Feminine Singular
ὥρᾳhōrahourG5610
√ ὥρα — an "hour" (literally or figuratively)NounDative Feminine Singular
hōra: hour Luke’s marker of simultaneity, peculiar to his account (Ellicott). The proof is staged in real time.
ἐθεράπευσενetherapeusen[Jesus] healedG2323
√ θεραπεύω — to wait upon menially, iVerbAorist Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
therapeuō: to serve, heal (aorist) Originally “to attend upon as a servant”; healing as service. Jesus answers the question of his identity by serving.
πολλοὺςpollousmany [people]G4183
√ πολύς — (singular) much (in any respect) or (plural) manyAdjectiveAccusative Masculine Plural
ἀπὸapoofG575
√ ἀπό — "off," iPreposition
νόσωνnosōn[their] diseasesG3554
√ νόσος — a malady (rarely figuratively, of moral disability)NounGenitive Feminine Plural
nosos: disease The general word for sickness.
καὶkaiG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
μαστίγωνmastigōnafflictionsG3148
√ μάστιξ — a whip (literally, the Roman flagellum for criminalsNounGenitive Feminine Plural
mastix: whip, scourge A rare noun (6 verses). Illness felt as a lash; Gill reads them as “inflicted on them as scourges and corrections for sin,” a view Jesus elsewhere refuses to make universal (John 9:3). The one who removes these scourges will himself be scourged (Luke 18:33, verb mastigoō).
καὶkaiandG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
πονηρῶνponērōnevilG4190
√ πονηρός — hurtful, iAdjectiveGenitive Neuter Plural
ponēros: evil Paired with pneumatōn: Luke distinguishes possession from disease (compare 8:2).
πνευμάτωνpneumatōnspiritsG4151
√ πνεῦμα — a current of air, iNounGenitive Neuter Plural
pneuma: spirit “Evil spirits”: the kingdom’s answer includes deliverance from hostile powers, not only bodily repair.
καὶkaiandG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
ἐχαρίσατοecharisatoHe gaveG5483
√ χαρίζομαι — to grant as a favor, iVerbAorist Indicative Middle3rd Person Singular
charizomai: to grant as a favor (aorist middle) From charis, grace. Sight is given as a gift, not earned; Paul uses the same verb for God freely giving all things with his Son (Romans 8:32). Luke chose a grace-word for the most Isaianic of the signs (Isaiah 35:5).
βλέπεινblepeinsightG991
√ βλέπω — to look at (literally or figuratively)VerbPresent Infinitive Active
blepō: to see (present infinitive) The present tense: a continuing capacity to see.
πολλοῖςpolloisto many [who were]G4183
√ πολύς — (singular) much (in any respect) or (plural) manyAdjectiveDative Masculine Plural
τυφλοῖςtyphloisblindG5185
√ τυφλός — opaque (as if smoky), iAdjectiveDative Masculine Plural
typhlos: blind Opening blind eyes is the first sign named in v. 22 and the first in the Isaiah 61:1 (LXX) programme read at Nazareth (Luke 4:18).
22

So He replied, “Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Greek — tap a word ↓

kai apokritheis eipen autois Poreuthentes apangeilate Iōannē ha eidete kai ēkousate typhloi anablepousin chōloi peripatousin leproi katharizontai kai kōphoi akouousin nekroi egeirontai euangelizontai ptōchoi

Word by word24 · parsed
καὶkaiSoG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
ἀποκριθεὶςapokritheisHe repliedG611
√ ἀποκρίνομαι — to conclude for oneself, iVerbAorist Participle PassiveNominative Masculine Singular
apokrinomai: to answer (aorist passive form) Jesus answers, but not with “yes”; the answer is relocated into what was seen.
εἶπενeipen. . .G2036
√ ἔπω — to speak or say (by word or writing)VerbAorist Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
αὐτοῖςautois. . .G846
√ αὐτός — the reflexive pronoun self, used (alone or in the comparative G1438 (ἑαυτοῦ)) of the third person , and (with the proper personal pronoun) of the other personsPersonal / Possessive PronounDative Masculine 3rd Person Plural
ΠορευθέντεςPoreuthentesGo [back]G4198
√ πορεύομαι — to traverse, iVerbAorist Participle PassiveNominative Masculine Plural
poreuomai: to go Participle of attendant circumstance: “go and report.”
ἀπαγγείλατεapangeilate[and] reportG518
√ ἀπαγγέλλω — to announceVerbAorist Imperative Active2nd Person Plural
apangellō: to report (aorist imperative) The same verb as v. 18: John’s disciples once reported to stir the question; now they report to answer it. The messengers become, briefly, heralds of the Coming One.
ἸωάννῃIōannēto JohnG2491
√ Ἰωάννης — Joannes (iNounDative Masculine Singular
ἃhawhatG3739
√ ὅς — the relatively (sometimes demonstrative) pronoun, who, which, what, thatPersonal / Relative PronounAccusative Neuter Plural
εἴδετεeideteyou have seenG3708
√ ὁράω — by extension, to attend toVerbAorist Indicative Active2nd Person Plural
horaō: to see Eyewitness verb; together with “heard” it forms the legal pair of testimony.
καὶkaiandG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
ἠκούσατεēkousateheardG191
√ ἀκούω — to hear (in various senses)VerbAorist Indicative Active2nd Person Plural
akouō: to hear What they heard includes the preaching to the poor, the climax of the list.
τυφλοὶtyphloi[The] blindG5185
√ τυφλός — opaque (as if smoky), iAdjectiveNominative Masculine Plural
ἀναβλέπουσινanablepousinreceive sightG308
√ ἀναβλέπω — to look upVerbPresent Indicative Active3rd Person Plural
anablepō: to see again Echoes Isaiah 35:5 and the LXX of Isaiah 61:1 as quoted at Luke 4:18 (Cambridge and Gill point to Isaiah).
χωλοὶchōloi[the] lameG5560
√ χωλός — "halt", iAdjectiveNominative Masculine Plural
περιπατοῦσινperipatousinwalkG4043
√ περιπατέω — to tread all around, iVerbPresent Indicative Active3rd Person Plural
peripateō: to walk about Isaiah 35:6, “the lame shall leap as an hart,” as Gill notes.
λεπροὶleproi[the] lepersG3015
√ λεπρός — scaly, iAdjectiveNominative Masculine Plural
καθαρίζονταιkatharizontaiare cleansedG2511
√ καθαρίζω — to cleanse (literally or figuratively)VerbPresent Indicative Middle or Passive3rd Person Plural
katharizō: to cleanse (present passive) Lepers are not in Isaiah 35 or 61; the cleansing goes beyond the prophetic list, as does the raising of the dead. In the Law, the priest could only declare a leper clean (Leviticus 13 to 14); here the leper is made clean (compare Luke 5:12 to 13).
καὶkaiG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
κωφοὶkōphoi[the] deafG2974
√ κωφός — blunted, iAdjectiveNominative Masculine Plural
kōphos: deaf, dumb A rare word (12 verses). Isaiah 35:5, “the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped” (Gill).
ἀκούουσινakouousinhearG191
√ ἀκούω — to hear (in various senses)VerbPresent Indicative Active3rd Person Plural
νεκροὶnekroi[the] deadG3498
√ νεκρός — dead (literally or figurativelyAdjectiveNominative Masculine Plural
ἐγείρονταιegeirontaiare raisedG1453
√ ἐγείρω — to waken (transitively or intransitively), iVerbPresent Indicative Middle or Passive3rd Person Plural
egeirō: to raise (present passive) The resurrection-verb of the Gospel’s end (Luke 24:6, ēgerthē). Like the leper, it reaches beyond Isaiah 35, and Luke has just narrated it at Nain.
εὐαγγελίζονταιeuangelizontai[and the] good news is preachedG2097
√ εὐαγγελίζω — to announce good news ("evangelize") especially the gospelVerbPresent Indicative Middle or Passive3rd Person Plural
euangelizō: to announce good news (present passive) The Isaiah 61:1 verb (LXX euangelisasthai ptōchois) that Jesus read at Nazareth (Luke 4:18). Here placed last, after the dead are raised: the proclamation to the poor is the crown of the signs, not an anticlimax. Henry: “Christ adds this in the kingdom of grace.”
πτωχοὶptōchoi[to the] poorG4434
√ πτωχός — akin to G4422 (πτοέω) and the alternate of G4098 (πίπτω))AdjectiveNominative Masculine Plural
ptōchos: poor, beggarly From the root of cowering; the destitute, not merely those of modest means (compare 6:20, “Blessed are you who are poor”). Pulpit and Cambridge note rabbinic contempt for the unlearned poor; the Messiah’s signature is his address to them.
23

Blessed is the one who does not fall away on account of Me.”

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Greek — tap a word ↓

kai makarios estin hos skandalisthē ean mē en emoi

Word by word9 · parsed
καὶkaiG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
μακάριόςmakariosBlessedG3107
√ μακάριος — supremely blestAdjectiveNominative Masculine Singular
makarios: blessed, supremely happy A beatitude closes the answer, matching the beatitudes of 6:20 to 22. The rebuke, if there is one, is an invitation: John is offered a blessing he may still claim.
ἐστινestinisG1510
√ εἰμί — I exist (used only when emphatic)VerbPresent Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
ὃςhosthe [one who]G3739
√ ὅς — the relatively (sometimes demonstrative) pronoun, who, which, what, thatPersonal / Relative PronounNominative Masculine Singular
σκανδαλισθῇskandalisthēdoes not fall awayG4624
√ σκανδαλίζω — to entrap, iVerbAorist Subjunctive Passive3rd Person Singular
skandalizō: to cause to stumble (aorist subjunctive passive) The stumbling-stone language of Isaiah 8:14, which Paul and Peter apply to Christ (Romans 9:33; 1 Peter 2:8). What may trip John is a Messiah who heals rather than burns, and who leaves his herald in prison. Cambridge cites 1 Corinthians 1:23, the crucified Christ “a stumbling-block.”
ἐὰνean. . .G1437
√ ἐάν — a conditional particleConjunction
ean mē: “unless, if not”; here with the relative, “whoever is not.”
μὴmē. . .G3361
√ μή — (adverb) not, (conjunction) lestAdverb
ἐνenon account ofG1722
√ ἐν — "in," at, (up-)on, by, etcPreposition
ἐμοίemoiMeG1473
√ ἐγώ — I, mePersonal / Possessive PronounDative 1st Person Singular
egō: I, me (dative) The final word of the answer is “me.” The question was “are you he?”; the answer ends on the person, and blessing turns on how one stands toward him.

The verse-by-verse work is done. What follows gathers the whole unit. All three layers below are machine-generated (⚙). Weigh them; they have no authority.

⚙

Grand Commentary — the unit, read whole

synthesis · verify

AI synthesis — woven from the public-domain voices above and the original text; generated and fallible.

i. The report that reaches the prison — Luke 7:18 to 20

Luke ties the inquiry to what has just happened: a centurion’s servant healed at a word, a widow’s son raised at Nain. John’s disciples ἀπήγγειλαν, “reported,” and the report produces a question, not a confession. Ellicott notes that only Luke says the disciples carried the news, which implies they had free access to the imprisoned John. The question itself is a title: ὁ ἐρχόμενος, “the Coming One,” which Cambridge calls “a technical Hebrew term for the Messiah.” John had proclaimed that one mightier was coming (3:16); now he asks whether the one before him is that one. Luke repeats the question word for word in v. 20, and the messengers come as ἀπέστειλεν-sent envoys of “the Baptizer.”

Whose doubt is it? Pulpit sets out the two historic answers: the early church (Jerome, Chrysostom, and later Calvin and Beza) said John asked for his disciples’ sake; Tertullian and most modern expositors said John’s own faith faltered. Gill and Geneva hold the first; Maclaren, Cambridge and Pulpit the second. Maclaren pictures the prisoner expecting the axe and the fire of 3:9 and 3:17 and finding instead a gentle friend of sinners, so that “reeling faith stretched out a hand to Jesus.” Cambridge argues that v. 23 excludes the softer readings.

ii. The answer staged before their eyes — Luke 7:21

Only Luke records that “in that hour” Jesus healed many. Ellicott calls this “peculiar to St. Luke,” adding that it “obviously adds much force to our Lord’s answer.” The vocabulary is careful: μαστίγων, literally “scourges” (Cambridge), and ἐχαρίσατο, “granted as a grace,” which Gill reads as sight given “freely, as an act of grace and kindness.” Pulpit, through Cyril, suggests the timing was providential. Luke does not say so; he simply shows that the answer arrived as events before it arrived as words.

iii. Isaiah’s signs, and a beatitude for the stumbling — Luke 7:22 to 23

Jesus sends back a report, not a “yes.” Cambridge: he wished his answer to be “the announcement of facts not the explanation of difficulties.” The list echoes Isaiah 35:5 to 6 and 61:1 (Maclaren, Gill, Cambridge, Pulpit all make the link), the very text Jesus read at Nazareth (Luke 4:18). It also exceeds Isaiah: lepers cleansed and the dead raised are not in those lists. The final item is the climax, πτωχοὶ εὐαγγελίζονται, “poor are evangelized.” Cambridge calls it “the most convincing climax,” Henry calls it Christ’s miracle “in the kingdom of grace,” and Benson (on v. 19) calls it “the greatest mercy and the greatest miracle of all.” Maclaren’s reading of the whole answer is that John wanted the lightning and was pointed to the sunshine: love and healing, not retribution, are the true messianic signs.

Then the beatitude: μακάριός … ὃς ἐὰν μὴ σκανδαλισθῇ ἐν ἐμοί. Plumptre (via Pulpit) says the warning was “given in the form of a beatitude.” Cambridge connects skandalon with Isaiah 8:14 and 1 Corinthians 1:23. The stone that may trip John is Christ himself, a Messiah whose kingdom advances by mercy and whose herald is left in Herod’s prison.

Read under Sola Scriptura — this tool’s own fallible reading (⚙)

⚙ Read by itself, the passage does not let the reader resolve John’s inner state by guesswork. It gives three firm things. First, the question was real enough to be put in the form of an alternative (“or are we to expect another?”). Second, Jesus answers with Scripture and present facts rather than self-assertion: what was seen and heard, laid against Isaiah 35 and 61, is to carry the weight. Third, the closing beatitude is addressed to the one who might stumble, which most naturally (with Cambridge and Pulpit) implies that John himself needed it. The tool therefore reads the passage as Christ’s pastoral answer to honest, pressured faith: doubt is brought to Christ, Christ points it to the Word fulfilled, and blessing rests on not being tripped by the shape his kingdom actually takes. This reading is fallible and offered to be tested against Matthew 11:2 to 6 and Isaiah 35 and 61.

Christ answers the doubting herald not with a yes, but with the Word fulfilled before his messengers’ eyes, and a blessing for whoever does not stumble over him.

⚙

Canonical Threads — out to the whole of Scripture

cross-refs · verify

AI-generated connections. Each carries a verification badge with a recorded basis; contested links are flagged.

The Matthean parallel: the same answer word for word verbal / quotation: confirmed

Matthew 11:2 to 6 records the same exchange, and Matthew 11:5 carries the same list of signs. Ellicott on v. 22 notes the “exact agreement of the answer as reported in the two Gospels.” Cambridge notes the one variation in the question (Luke allon, Matthew heteron). Luke alone supplies the healings “in that hour” (v. 21).

Matthew 11:5

basis: Verifier: shared Greek lexemes G2974 κωφός (in 12 vv, rare), G2511 καθαρίζω (in 30 vv), G5185 τυφλός (in 46 vv); a synoptic parallel of the same saying

The Nazareth programme fulfilled: Isaiah 61 in Luke 4:18 verbal / quotation: confirmed

At Nazareth Jesus read Isaiah 61:1 (LXX), “to preach good news to the poor … recovery of sight to the blind,” and said “Today this Scripture is fulfilled” (4:18 to 21). Luke 7:22 reports that programme in action, ending on the same verb and object: εὐαγγελίζονται πτωχοί. The link is within Luke’s own Greek.

Luke 4:18

basis: Verifier pair Luke 7:22 / Luke 4:18: shared Greek lexemes G4434 πτωχός (in 34 vv), G2097 εὐαγγελίζω (in 52 vv), G5185 τυφλός (in 46 vv); intra-Lukan echo of the same Isaiah 61:1 phrasing

Isaiah’s signs of the age to come structural / thematic: confirmed

The list of v. 22 echoes Isaiah 35:5 to 6 (blind, deaf, lame), Isaiah 29:18 (deaf hear, blind see) and Isaiah 61:1 (good news to the poor). Maclaren, Gill, Cambridge and Pulpit all make this link explicitly; Cambridge and Pulpit cite Isaiah 29:18 and 35:4 to 6. The allusion is the substance of Jesus’ answer to the prophet-trained Baptist. It is cross-Testament (Greek to Hebrew), so shared Strong’s numbers cannot be computed; the tier rests on the clear pattern and broad commentary agreement, not a formal quotation.

Isaiah 35:5 · Isaiah 35:6 · Isaiah 29:18 · Isaiah 61:1

basis: Cross-Testament allusion (Greek to Hebrew; no shared Strong’s possible): the same sequence of signs (blind, deaf, lame, good news to the poor); identified by Maclaren, Gill, Cambridge and Pulpit

“The Coming One” announced and questioned structural / thematic: confirmed

John had preached “one mightier than I is coming” (Luke 3:16); at 3:15 the people were “waiting” (prosdokaō, the verb of 7:19) and wondering whether John himself was the Christ. In 7:19 the expectation returns as a question from John about Jesus. The shared words (erchomai, John’s name) are common, so the link is thematic, not verbal.

Luke 3:15 · Luke 3:16

basis: Verifier: Luke 3:15 candidate shares G2491 Ἰωάννης (in 132 vv); pair Luke 7:19 / 3:16 shares G2064 ἔρχομαι (in 597 vv) and G2491; common lexemes, so a thematic link only. The G4328 προσδοκάω link to 3:15 is an observation of this tool

Scourges healed, and the Healer scourged verbal / quotation: confirmed

The rare noun μάστιξ (“scourge”) names diseases in Mark 3:10 and 5:29, 34 (the woman with the issue of blood, freed from her “scourge”), and the literal Roman flogging in Acts 22:24 and Hebrews 11:36. Ellicott on v. 21 points to Mark 3:10. The shared word is rare and the sense (disease as lash) is the same in Mark. The tool’s further observation, that Jesus who removes scourges will himself be scourged (Luke 18:33, the cognate verb), is a thematic reflection, not part of the recorded basis.

Mark 3:10 · Mark 5:29 · Acts 22:24

basis: Verifier: shared Greek lexeme G3148 μάστιξ (in 6 vv, rare) with Mark 3:10, Mark 5:29, Acts 22:24; a shared rare word, not a quotation

The stone of stumbling typological

Cambridge links the skandalon of v. 23 to Isaiah 8:14 to 15, 1 Corinthians 1:23 and 1 Peter 2:7 to 8. Peter and Paul both apply Isaiah’s stone of stumbling to Christ. The verb in Luke (skandalizō, G4624) is not the same lexeme as the noun in the epistles (skandalon, G4625), and Isaiah is Hebrew, so no verbal tier is claimed. The link is the apostolic reading of Christ as the stone over which Israel may fall.

Isaiah 8:14 · 1 Corinthians 1:23 · 1 Peter 2:8

basis: Cross-Testament and cognate (not identical) lexemes; Christ as Isaiah’s stumbling-stone is the explicit apostolic reading (1 Peter 2:8, Romans 9:33), cited by Cambridge; ancient/widely-held

⚙Christ in the Unittypology · verify

AI-generated reading; weigh it against the text.

The Coming One identified by the works of Isaiah’s new creation ancient/widely-held

⚙ Jesus does not answer “I am he” but lets the prophetic signs of the age to come identify him. Isaiah 35 promised that when God comes to save, the blind will see and the lame leap; Isaiah 61 that the Spirit-anointed one would bring good news to the poor. Jesus places himself as the one in whom God has come (compare 7:16, “God has visited his people”). Gill calls the signs “a full demonstration, that Jesus was the Messiah”; Maclaren and Cambridge read the answer as sending John back to the prophets. This is the widely-held reading across the commentators in the brief.

Isaiah 35:4 · Isaiah 61:1 · Luke 4:21

A Messiah of mercy before judgment ancient/widely-held

⚙ John had preached the axe and the fire (3:9, 17). Jesus answers with healing. The judgment is not cancelled but ordered: the first coming is the year of the Lord’s favor (Isaiah 61:2a, the point at which Jesus stopped reading at Nazareth, Luke 4:19), and the day of vengeance stands later. Maclaren puts the lesson in terms of love being the true sign rather than destructive energy. The ordering of favor before vengeance is a widely-held Christian reading; the tool flags that the Nazareth stopping-point argument is an inference from Luke 4:19, not a statement Jesus makes here.

Luke 3:17 · Isaiah 61:2 · Luke 4:19

The Healer who will be scourged and raised novel

⚙ The signs point forward. Pulpit, quoting Wordsworth, sees in them the pledge that at the resurrection Christ will “remove all infirmities and blemishes from the bodies of his servants.” The verbs of v. 22 anticipate the Gospel’s end: the one who removes scourges will be scourged (18:33), and the one through whom the dead are raised (egeirontai) will himself be raised (24:6, ēgerthē). The stumbling-stone of v. 23 is supremely the cross (1 Corinthians 1:23). The resurrection-pledge reading is widely-held; the specific verbal pairing with 18:33 and 24:6 is this tool’s observation.

Luke 18:33 · Luke 24:6 · 1 Corinthians 1:23

Apparatus & Provenance

The biblical text is the Berean Standard Bible (BSB), public domain (CC0). Hebrew/Greek text, transliteration, morphology and Strong’s are transcribed from the Berean interlinear (CC0) + Strong’s lexicons (PD); the literal renderings, divergence notes, word notes and all synthesis are this tool’s own work (⚙) — fallible; verify them.

Named voices, quoted verbatim from public-domain works:

  • Alexander Maclaren, Expositions of Holy Scripture (c. 1905)
  • Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges, — (1880s)
  • Charles Ellicott, Commentary for English Readers (1878)
  • Geneva Study Bible, Marginal Notes (1599)
  • John Gill, Exposition of the Entire Bible (1746–63)
  • Joseph Benson, Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1810s)
  • Matthew Henry, Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible (1706)
  • The Pulpit Commentary, Spence & Exell, eds. (1880s)

Text. At v. 19 the BSB reads “the Lord”; Ellicott and Cambridge note that other manuscripts read “Jesus.” At v. 21 Cambridge notes that “same” (KJV “that same hour”) has no Greek equivalent. The form prosdokōmen may be read as indicative or deliberative subjunctive.

Sources. Barnes, JFB and Poole give only cross-references to Matthew 11 for this unit; Barnes’s entry under v. 18 actually comments on 7:16 to 17, so none of the three is quoted. Henry’s note covers 7:19 to 35 as a single block. Cambridge’s entry listed under v. 20 is a note on v. 29 and is not used. Pulpit quotes Jerome, Cyril (via Wordsworth) and Plumptre; those attributions are Pulpit’s. Maclaren’s full entry is capped in the brief; only the uncapped portion is cited.

Uncertain. Whether John asked for his own sake or his disciples’ is disputed between the commentators quoted (Gill, Geneva versus Maclaren, Cambridge, Pulpit). The tool leans to the second on the strength of v. 23 but marks it as interpretation. The place of imprisonment (Machaerus, named by Gill and Maclaren) comes from Josephus, not from Luke.

✦ = human, public-domain source, quoted and named. ⚙ = machine synthesis, to be verified. Flagged cross-references are left visible on purpose — the verifier working in the open. “Search the Scriptures daily, whether those things were so.” (Acts 17:11)