Luke 14:12

Luke 14:12 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Then said he also to him that bade him, When thou makest a dinner or a supper, call not thy friends, nor thy brethren, neither thy kinsmen, nor thy rich neighbours; lest they also bid thee again, and a recompence be made thee.
• New International Version (NIV)Then Jesus said to his host, “When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or sisters, your relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid.
• English Standard Version (ESV)He said also to the man who had invited him, "When you give a dinner or a banquet, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, lest they also invite you in return and you be repaid.
• New King James Version (NKJV)Then He also said to him who invited Him, “When you give a dinner or a supper, do not ask your friends, your brothers, your relatives, nor rich neighbors, lest they also invite you back, and you be repaid.

Context of Luke 14:12

10Instead, when someone asks you to a meal, you should do this. Go and sit in the least important place. Then the man that asked you to the meal will see you there. And he may say to you, “My friend, move up here to a better place.” Everyone who is there at the meal will see this. So they will know that you are an important person. 11It will be the same in the kingdom of God. Some people lift themselves up to be important. God will bring all of them down low. Other people are humble. God will lift up those people to a good place.’ Then Jesus said to the man who had asked him to the meal, ‘When you give a meal at midday or in the evening, do not ask your friends to come. Do not ask your brothers or your family. And do not ask the rich people that live near you to come. If you do, they will later ask you to eat at their house. This will pay you for the meal that you gave to them. 13Instead, when you prepare a big meal, you should ask the poor people to come. Ask people that have lost an arm or a leg. Ask people that cannot walk very well, and people that cannot see. 14Then God will make you happy. Those people cannot pay you for the meal you have given to them. Instead, God will pay you, on the day when he makes good people become alive again.’

Luke 14:12 word by word

Ἔλεγεν δὲ καὶ τῷ κεκληκότι αὐτόν· ὅταν ποιῇς ἄριστον ἢ δεῖπνον, μὴ φώνει τοὺς φίλους σου μηδὲ τοὺς ἀδελφούς σου μηδὲ τοὺς συγγενεῖς σου μηδὲ γείτονας πλουσίους μήποτε καὶ αὐτοὶ ἀντικαλέσωσίν σε καὶ γένηται ἀνταπόδομά σοι.Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• ·ὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• Thenδέde · thenG1161
• said heλέγωlegō · to sayG3004
• alsoκαίkai · andG2532
• to himαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
• bade himκαλέωkaleō · to call: callG2564
• Whenὅτανhotan · when(-ever)G3752
• thou makestποιέωpoieō · to do/make: doG4160
• a dinnerἄριστονariston · early mealG712
• orἤē · orG2228
• a supperδεῖπνονdeipnon · dinnerG1173
• callφωνέωphōneō · to callG5455
• notμήmē · notG3361
• thyσύsu · youG4771
• friendsφίλοςphilos · friendly/friendG5384
• norμηδέmēde · norG3366
• brethrenἀδελφόςadelphos · brotherG80
• kinsmenσυγγενήςsuggenēs · kindredG4773
• richπλούσιοςplousios · richG4145
• neighboursγείτωνgeitōn · neighbourG1069
• lestμήποτεmēpote mē pote · lestG3379
• bidἀντικαλέωantikaleō · to invite in returnG479
• a recompenceἀνταπόδομαantapodoma · repaymentG468
• be madeγίνομαιginomai · to beG1096

Cross-references for Luke 14:12

• Luke 1:53He has fed hungry people with good things to eat. But he has sent rich people away with nothing.
• Proverbs 14:20Even the neighbours of poor people do not like them. But rich people have many friends.
• Proverbs 22:16Someone may be cruel to poor people to make himself rich. Someone else may give gifts to rich people to make them his friends. But both those people will become poor in the end.
• James 2:1My Christian friends, you must be kind to everyone. You trust the Lord Jesus Christ, who is great in heaven. So do not think that anyone is more valuable than any other person.
• Luke 6:32Do you only love people who love you? God will not praise you just for doing that! Even bad people love those people who love them.
• Zechariah 7:5He said, ‘Say this to all the people in this country and to the priests: “You lived in Babylon for many years. You ate no food and you were sad in the fifth month and in the seventh month. But you did not do this for me.
• Matthew 5:46Do you only love people who love you? God will not give you good things just for doing that. Even the men who take taxes love their friends!
• Matthew 6:1Jesus then said to them, ‘You should do good things to help people. But be careful! Do not do this so that other people see you. If you want other people to praise you, your Father in heaven will not praise you.

Commentaries on Luke 14:12

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 12Call not thy friends, etc. - Our Lord certainly does not mean that a man should not entertain at particular times, his friends, etc.; but what he inculcates here is charity to the poor; and what he condemns is those entertainments which are given to the rich, either to flatter them, or to procure a similar return; because the money that is thus criminally laid out properly belongs to the poor.Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 12Call not thy friends … - This is not to be understood as commanding us not to entertain “at all” our relatives and friends; but we are to remember the “design” with which our Lord spoke. He intended, doubtless, to reprove those who sought the society of the wealthy, and particularly rich relatives, and those who claimed to be intimate with the great and honorable, and who, to show their intimacy, were in the habit of “seeking” their society, and making…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 7-14Verses 7-14 Even in the common actions of life, Christ marks what we do, not only in our religious assemblies, but at our tables. We see in many cases, that a man's pride will bring him low, and before honour is humility. Our Saviour here teaches, that works of charity are better than works of show. But our Lord did not mean that a proud and unbelieving liberality should be rewarded, but that his precept of doing good to the poor and afflicted should be…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 12-13do not invite your friends: Jesus challenged the common use of banquets to show and increase social status in the community. A host would invite friends of similar status and a few people of higher status. Those honored guests were then expected to invite the host back, which could improve the host’s reputation and position. Jesus turned this social order upside down by telling his followers to invite people who had no status and could not repay them. In…Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 12-1412-14. call not thy friends--Jesus certainly did not mean us to dispense with the duties of ordinary fellowship, but, remitting these to their proper place, inculcates what is better [Bengel]. lest ... a recompense be given thee--a fear the world is not afflicted with [Bengel]. The meaning, however, is that no exercise of principle is involved in it, as selfishness itself will suffice to prompt to it (Mt 5:46, 47).Read the comment

Topics related to Luke 14:12

• Hospitality
• Jesus, the Christ
• Poor

In the dictionaries

• Compel
• Condition
• Consent
• Consult
• Dine
• Eating
• Exalt
• Excuse
• Halt
• Hate

Commentaries on Luke 14

• 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