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

12Now even tax collectors came to be baptized, and they said to him, “Teacher, what are we to do?” 13And he said to them, “Collect no more than what you have been ordered to.” And soldiers also were questioning him, saying, “What are we to do, we as well?” And he said to them, “Do not extort money from anyone, nor harass anyone, and be content with your wages.” 15Now while the people were in a state of expectation and they all were thinking carefully in their hearts about John, whether he himself perhaps was the Christ, 16John responded to them all, saying, “As for me, I baptize you with water; but He is coming who is mightier than I, and I am not fit to untie the straps of His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and 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

• And soldiersστρατεύωstrateuomai · to battleG4754
• alsoκαίkai · andG2532
• were questioningἐπερωτάωeperōtaō · to questionG1905
• him, sayingλέγωlegō · to sayG3004
• Whatτίςtis · which?G5101
• are we to doποιέωpoieō · to do/make: doG4160
• And he saidλέγωlegō · to sayG3004
• to them, “Do not extortδιασείωdiaseiō · to extortG1286
• from anyoneμηδείςmēdeis mēdemia mēden · nothingG3367
• norμηδέmēde · norG3366
• harassσυκοφαντέωsukophanteō · to extortG4811
• be contentἀρκέωarkeō · be sufficientG714
• with your wagesὀψώνιονopsōnion · compensationG3800

Cross-references for Luke 3:14

• Matthew 8:5And when Jesus entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, begging Him,
• Acts 10:7When the angel who spoke to him left, he summoned two of his servants and a devout soldier from his personal attendants,
• Romans 13:9For this, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and if there is any other commandment, it is summed up in this saying, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
• Philippians 2:15so that you will prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world,
• Luke 19:8But Zaccheus stopped and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, half of my possessions I am giving to the poor, and if I have extorted anything from anyone, I am giving back four times as much.”
• Exodus 20:16“You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.
• Exodus 23:1“You shall not give a false report; do not join your hand with a wicked person to be a malicious witness.
• Leviticus 19:11‘You shall not steal, nor deal falsely, 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 of our God and the authority of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers and sisters has been thrown down, the one who accuses them before our God day and night.
• Philippians 4:11Not that I speak from need, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am.
• 1 Timothy 6:8If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content.
• Hebrews 13:5Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, “I will never desert you, nor will I ever abandon you,”

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