Luke 3:14

Luke 3:14 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And the soldiers likewise demanded of him, saying, And what shall we do? And he said unto them, Do violence to no man, neither accuse any falsely; and be content with your wages.
• New International Version (NIV)Then some soldiers asked him, “And what should we do?” He replied, “Don’t extort money and don’t accuse people falsely—be content with your pay.”
• English Standard Version (ESV)Soldiers also asked him, "And we, what shall we do?" And he said to them, "Do not extort money from anyone by threats or by false accusation, and be content with your wages."
• New King James Version (NKJV)Likewise the soldiers asked him, saying, “And what shall we do?” So he said to them, “Do not intimidate anyone or accuse falsely, and be content with your wages.”

Context of Luke 3:14

12Even some tax collectors came to be baptized, and they asked, “Teacher, what are we to do?” 13And he told them, “Collect no more than the fixed amount you have been ordered to [collect].” Some soldiers asked him, “And what about us, what are we to do?” And he replied to them, “Do not extort money from anyone or harass or blackmail anyone, and be satisfied with your wages.” 15Now the people were in a state of expectation, and all were wondering in their hearts about John, as to whether he was the Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed). 16John answered them all by saying, “As for me, I baptize you [only] with water; but One who is mightier [more powerful, more noble] than I is coming, and I am not fit to untie the strap of His sandals [even as His slave]. He will baptize you [who truly repent] with the Holy Spirit and [you who remain unrepentant] with fire.

Luke 3:14 word by word

ἐπηρώτων δὲ αὐτὸν καὶ στρατευόμενοι λέγοντες· τί ποιήσωμεν καὶ ἡμεῖς; καὶ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς· μηδένα διασείσητε μηδὲ συκοφαντήσητε καὶ ἀρκεῖσθε τοῖς ὀψωνίοις ὑμῶν.¶Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Andδέde · thenG1161
• the soldiersστρατεύωstrateuomai · to battleG4754
• likewiseκαίkai · andG2532
• demandedἐπερωτάωeperōtaō · to questionG1905
• of himαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
• sayingλέγωlegō · to sayG3004
• whatτίςtis · which?G5101
• shallποιέωpoieō · to do/make: doG4160
• weἐγώegō · I/weG1473
• he saidλέγωlegō · to sayG3004
• untoπρόςpros · to/withG4314
• Do violence toδιασείωdiaseiō · to extortG1286
• no manμηδείςmēdeis mēdemia mēden · nothingG3367
• neitherμηδέmēde · norG3366
• accuseσυκοφαντέωsukophanteō · to extortG4811
• be contentἀρκέωarkeō · be sufficientG714
• withὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• withὀψώνιονopsōnion · compensationG3800
• yourσύsu · youG4771

Cross-references for Luke 3:14

• Matthew 8:5As Jesus went into Capernaum, a centurion came up to Him, begging Him [for help],
• Acts 10:7When the angel who was speaking to him had gone, Cornelius called two of his servants and a devout soldier from among his own personal attendants;
• Romans 13:9The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, you shall not murder, you shall not steal, you shall not covet,” and any other commandment are summed up in this statement: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
• Philippians 2:15so that you may prove yourselves to be blameless and guileless, innocent and uncontaminated, children of God without blemish in the midst of a [morally] crooked and [spiritually] perverted generation, among whom you are seen as bright lights [beacons shining out clearly] in the world [of darkness],
• Luke 19:8Zaccheus stopped and said to the Lord, “See, Lord, I am [now] giving half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anyone out of anything, I will give back four times as much.”
• Exodus 20:16“You shall not testify falsely [that is, lie, withhold, or manipulate the truth] against your neighbor (any person).
• Exodus 23:1“You shall not give a false report; you shall not join hands with the wicked to be a malicious witness [promoting wrong and violence].
• Leviticus 19:11‘You shall not steal, nor deal deceptively, nor lie to one another.
• Revelation 12:10Then I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom (dominion, reign) of our God, and the authority of His Christ have come; for the accuser of our [believing] brothers and sisters has been thrown down [at last], he who accuses them and keeps bringing charges [of sinful behavior] against them before our God day and night.
• Philippians 4:11Not that I speak from [any personal] need, for I have learned to be content [and self-sufficient through Christ, satisfied to the point where I am not disturbed or uneasy] regardless of my circumstances.
• 1 Timothy 6:8But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content.
• Hebrews 13:5Let your character [your moral essence, your inner nature] be free from the love of money [shun greed—be financially ethical], being content with what you have; for He has said, “I will never [under any circumstances] desert you [nor give you up nor leave you without support, nor will I in any degree leave you helpless], nor will I forsake or let you down or relax My hold on you [assuredly not]!”

Commentaries on Luke 3:14

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 14The soldiers likewise demanded of him - He, thirdly, instructs those among the military. They were either Roman soldiers, or the soldiers of Herod or Philip. Use no violence to any, , do not extort money or goods by force or violence from any. This is the import of the words neminein concutite, used here by the Vulgate, and points out a crime of which the Roman soldiers were notoriously guilty, their own writers being witnesses. Concussio has the above…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 14The soldiers likewise - It seems that “they,” also came to his baptism. Whether these were Jews or Romans cannot be ascertained. It is not improbable that, as Judea was a Roman province, they were Jews or Jewish proselytes in the service of Herod Antipas or Philip, and so were really in the Roman service. Do violence … - Do not take the property of any by unlawful force, or do not use unjust force against the person or property of any individual. it is…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 14These soldiers were probably not Roman, but local Jewish troops under the authority of Herod Antipas. They might have been assigned to protect the tax collectors. John does not condemn either tax collectors or soldiers but calls them to honesty and integrity.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 10-1410-14. What shall we do then?--to show the sincerity of our repentance. (Also see on Mt 3:10.)Read the comment

Topics related to Luke 3:14

• Accusation, False
• Contentment
• False Teachers
• Injustice
• Integrity
• Righteousness
• Soldiers
• Wages

In the dictionaries

• Demand
• Mary
• Reprove
• Unquenchable
• Violence
• Wages
• Antediluvian Patriarchs
• Army
• Jesus Christ
• John the Baptist

Commentaries on Luke 3

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Catena Aurea
• Illustrated New Testament
• Burkitt’s Expository Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Family Bible Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• John Lightfoot Commentary
• Luther’s Commentary on Selected Bible Passages
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• The People’s New Testament
• Robertson’s Word Pictures
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• The Fourfold Gospel and Commentary on Acts
• Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings