Luke 13:2 Meaning and Explanation
“And Jesus answering said unto them, Suppose ye that these Galilaeans were sinners above all the Galilaeans, because they suffered such things?”
King James Version (KJV)
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Read Full Chapter →Jesus asks whether the slain Galileans suffered because they were worse sinners than all other Galileans.
What Does Luke 13:2 Mean?
Jesus answers the report of the massacre with a question of His own. He names the assumption hiding inside the news: that those who died so terribly must have been guiltier than their neighbors, and that calamity is a measure of sin.
With one question He brings that logic into the open, where it cannot survive. Scripture elsewhere resists the same arithmetic: Job suffered though upright, and Jesus denied that a man was born blind for his sin (John 9:3). Disaster is not a verdict on its victims. The question prepares the hearers for the real point — the state of their own souls before God.
Luke 13:2 in the Original Language
hamartolos (ἁμαρτωλός), 'sinner' -- one who misses the mark, falling short of the way of God.
Frequently Asked Questions About Luke 13:2
What does Luke 13:2 mean?
Jesus asks whether the slain Galileans suffered because they were worse sinners than all other Galileans.