God’s Word Translation
Luke 3:9
9The ax is now ready to cut the roots of the trees. Any tree that doesn’t produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into a fire.”
Luke 3:9 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: every tree therefore which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
- New International Version (NIV)The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.”
- English Standard Version (ESV)Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire."
- New King James Version (NKJV)And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”
Context of Luke 3:9
7Crowds of people were coming to be baptized by John. He would say to them, “You poisonous snakes! Who showed you how to flee from God’s coming anger? 8Do those things that prove that you have turned to God and have changed the way you think and act. Don’t say, ‘Abraham is our ancestor.’ I guarantee that God can raise up descendants for Abraham from these stones. The ax is now ready to cut the roots of the trees. Any tree that doesn’t produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into a fire.” 10The crowds asked him, “What should we do?” 11He answered them, “Whoever has two shirts should share with the person who doesn’t have any. Whoever has food should share it too.”
Read all of Luke 3Luke 3:9 word by word
ἤδη δὲ καὶ ἡ ἀξίνη πρὸς τὴν ῥίζαν τῶν δένδρων κεῖται· πᾶν οὖν δένδρον μὴ ποιοῦν καρπὸν καλὸν ἐκκόπτεται καὶ εἰς πῦρ βάλλεται.Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Andδέde · thenG1161
- nowἤδηēdē · alreadyG2235
- alsoκαίkai · andG2532
- the axeὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
- the axeἀξίνηaxinē · axeG513
- is laidκεῖμαιkeimai · to lay/be appointedG2749
- untoπρόςpros · to/withG4314
- the rootῥίζαrhiza · rootG4491
- of the treesδένδρονdendron · treeG1186
- everyπᾶςpas · allG3956
- thereforeοὖνoun · therefore/thenG3767
- which bringethποιέωpoieō · to do/make: doG4160
- notμήmē · notG3361
- goodκαλόςkalos · goodG2570
- fruitκαρπόςkarpos · fruitG2590
- is hewn downἐκκόπτωekkoptō · to preventG1581
- castβάλλωballō · to throw: throwG906
- intoεἰςeis · towardG1519
- the fireπῦρpur · fireG4442
Cross-references for Luke 3:9
- Luke 13:7He said to the gardener, ‘For the last three years I’ve come to look for figs on this fig tree but haven’t found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up ⌞good⌟ soil?’
- Luke 23:29The time is coming when people will say, ‘Blessed are the women who couldn’t get pregnant, who couldn’t give birth, and who couldn’t nurse a child.’
- Isaiah 10:33Now look! The Almighty Lord of Armies will trim the branches with terrifying power. The highest trees will be cut down. The tallest ones will be brought down.
- Ezekiel 15:2“Son of man, what good is the wood from a vine? Is it better than the wood from a tree in the forest?
- Ezekiel 31:18“ ‘This tree is you, Pharaoh, and all your many people. No tree in Eden has ever been as honorable and as great as you. But you will be brought down below the earth with the trees of Eden. You will lie among the godless people who were killed in battle, declares the Almighty Lord.’ ”
- Daniel 4:14He shouted loudly, ‘Cut down the oak tree! Cut off its branches! Strip off its leaves! Scatter its fruit! Make the animals under it run away, and make the birds fly from its branches.
- Matthew 3:10The ax is now ready to cut the roots of the trees. Any tree that doesn’t produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into a fire.
- Matthew 7:19Any tree that fails to produce good fruit is cut down and thrown into a fire.
- John 15:6Whoever doesn’t live in me is thrown away like a branch and dries up. Branches like this are gathered, thrown into a fire, and burned.
- Hebrews 10:28If two or three witnesses accused someone of rejecting Moses’ Teachings, that person was shown no mercy as he was executed.
- Hebrews 12:29After all, our God is a destructive fire.
Commentaries on Luke 3:9
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 3-9Verses 3-9 On the baptism of John - see the notes at Matthew 3.Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 9every tree that does not produce good fruit: If Israel did not repent and produce good works, God would judge them to be as worthless as a vineyard without grapes (see Isaiah 5:1–7; compare Luke 13:7–9; 20:9–19).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1-20(See on Mt 3:1-12; Mr 6:17, &c.). 1-2. Here the curtain of the New Testament is, as it were, drawn up, and the greatest of all epochs of the Church commences. Even our Lord's own age (Lu 3:23) is determined by it [Bengel]. No such elaborate chronological precision is to be found elsewhere in the New Testament, and it comes fitly from him who claims it as the peculiar recommendation of his Gospel, that he had "accurately traced down all things from the…Read the comment
Topics related to Luke 3:9
In the dictionaries
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
God’s Word Translation — © 1995 God’s Word to the Nations Bible Society
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