Luke 3:8

Do what is appropriate for people who have truly turned from their sinful behavior! God promised to give Abraham many descendants. In order to fulfill that promise, God does not need you! I tell you that he can change these stones to make them descendants of Abraham! So do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We (exc) are descendants of Abraham, so God will not punish us, even though we have sinned!’

Translation for Translators

In The King James Version

Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance, and begin not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, That God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.

In Context

7Although large groups of people came to John to be baptized {in order that he would baptize them}, he knew that many of them were not sincere. So he kept saying to them, “You people are evil [MET] like poisonous snakes! I warn you that God will some day punish [MTY] everyone who sins. And ◄do not think that you can escape from his punishing [MTY] you if you do not turn from your sinful behavior!/did someone tell you that you can escape from his punishing [MTY] you if you do not turn from your sinful behavior?► [RHQ] (OR, Who told you that you could escape God’s punishment?)

9God is ready to punish you if you do not turn away from your sinful behavior, just like a man [MET] lays his axe at the roots of a fruit tree to chop it down and throw it into the fire if it does not produce good fruit [MET].”

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Cross References

Joshua 4:3Tell them to carry the stones with you and put them down at the place where you will stay tonight.”

Isaiah 1:16Cleanse your inner beings, and become spiritually clean! Stop your evil behavior! Stop doing things that are wrong!

Jeremiah 7:4But some people are repeatedly saying to you, ‘The temple of Yahweh is here, so we will be safe; he will not allow us and the temple to be destroyed.’ But do not pay attention to what they say, because they are deceiving you.

Matthew 8:11I tell you truly that many other non-Jewish people who will believe in me like this Roman officer will come from distant countries, including those far to the east and far to the west [SYN], and they will sit down to eat with [MTY] Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in heaven, where God rules.

Luke 13:28Then Jesus continued, saying, “ From where God will send you, you will see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in the distance. All the prophets who lived long ago will also be there, in the kingdom where God is ruling. But you will be outside, crying and grinding your teeth because you will have severe pain!

Luke 19:40He replied, “I tell you this: If these people would be silent, the stones themselves would shout to praise me!”

Matthew Henry on Luke 3:2-15

Ministry of John the Baptist. 1 Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Cæsar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judæa, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of Ituræa and of the region of Trachonitis, and Lysanias the tetrarch of Abilene, 2 Annas and Caiaphas being the high priests, the word of God came unto John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness. 3 And he came into all the country about Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins; 4 As it is… Read the whole commentary →

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