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Friday, July 25th, 2025
the Week of Proper 11 / Ordinary 16
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Read the Bible

Bible in Basic English

Luke 19:31

And if anyone says to you, Why are you taking him? say, The Lord has need of him.

Bible Study Resources

Dictionaries:

- Fausset Bible Dictionary - Olives, Mount of;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Luke, Gospel of;   Triumphal Entry;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Consciousness;   Dominion (2);   Entry into Jerusalem;   Names and Titles of Christ;   Owner ;   Poverty (2);   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Olives;   Wilson's Dictionary of Bible Types - Loose;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ say this: ‘The Lord needs it.’”
King James Version (1611)
And if any man aske you, Why do ye loose him? Thus shall ye say vnto him, Because the Lord hath neede of him.
King James Version
And if any man ask you, Why do ye loose him? thus shall ye say unto him, Because the Lord hath need of him.
English Standard Version
If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?' you shall say this: ‘The Lord has need of it.'"
New American Standard Bible
"And if anyone asks you, 'Why are you untying it?' you shall say this: 'The Lord has need of it.'"
New Century Version
If anyone asks you why you are untying it, say that the Master needs it."
Amplified Bible
"If anybody asks you, 'Why are you untying the colt?' you will say, 'The Lord needs it.'"
New American Standard Bible (1995)
"If anyone asks you, 'Why are you untying it?' you shall say, 'The Lord has need of it.'"
Legacy Standard Bible
And if anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?' you shall say this: ‘Because the Lord has need of it.'"
Berean Standard Bible
If anyone asks, 'Why you are untying it?' tell him, 'The Lord needs it.'"
Contemporary English Version
If anyone asks why you are doing that, just say, ‘The Lord needs it.'"
Complete Jewish Bible
If anyone asks why you are untying it, tell him, ‘The Lord needs it.'"
Darby Translation
And if any one ask you, Why do ye loose [it]? thus shall ye say to him, Because the Lord has need of it.
Easy-to-Read Version
If anyone asks you why you are taking the donkey, you should say, ‘The Master needs it.'"
Geneva Bible (1587)
And if any man aske you, why ye loose him, thus shall ye say vnto him, Because the Lord hath neede of him.
George Lamsa Translation
And if any man should ask you, Why do you untie it? tell him this: Our lord needs it.
Good News Translation
If someone asks you why you are untying it, tell him that the Master needs it."
Lexham English Bible
And if anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?' you will say this: ‘The Lord has need of it.'"
Literal Translation
And if anyone asks, Why do you untie it ? you shall say to them, The Lord has need of it.
American Standard Version
And if any one ask you, Why do ye loose him? thus shall ye say, The Lord hath need of him.
Hebrew Names Version
If anyone asks you, 'Why are you untying it?' say to him: 'The Lord needs it.'"
International Standard Version
If anyone asks you why you are untying it, say this: 'The Lord needs it.'"
Etheridge Translation
And if any man demand why you loose him, thus say: It is requested by our Lord.
Murdock Translation
And if any man ask you, Why do ye loose him? say to him: Our Lord needeth him.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And yf any man aske you, why do ye loose hym, thus shall ye say vnto hym: because the Lorde hath neede of hym.
English Revised Version
And if any one ask you, Why do ye loose him? thus shall ye say, The Lord hath need of him.
World English Bible
If anyone asks you, 'Why are you untying it?' say to him: 'The Lord needs it.'"
Wesley's New Testament (1755)
And if any man ask you, Why do ye loose him, thus shall ye say to him, The Lord hath need of him.
Weymouth's New Testament
And if any one asks you, `Why are you untying the colt?' simply say, `The Master needs it.'"
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And if ony man axe you, whi ye vntien, thus ye schulen seie to hym, For the Lord desirith his werk.
Update Bible Version
And if any one asks you, Why do you loose him? thus you shall say, The Lord has need of him.
Webster's Bible Translation
And if any man shall ask you, Why do ye loose [him]? thus shall ye say to him, Because the Lord hath need of him.
New English Translation
If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?' just say, ‘The Lord needs it.'"
New King James Version
And if anyone asks you, "Why are you loosing it?' thus you shall say to him, "Because the Lord has need of it."'
New Living Translation
If anyone asks, ‘Why are you untying that colt?' just say, ‘The Lord needs it.'"
New Life Bible
If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you letting it loose?' say to him, ‘Because the Lord needs it.'"
New Revised Standard
If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?' just say this, ‘The Lord needs it.'"
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And, if any one question you - Wherefore are ye loosing him? thus, shall ye say - His Lord, hath, need.
Douay-Rheims Bible
And if any man shall ask you: Why do you loose him? You shall say thus unto him: Because the Lord hath need of his service.
Revised Standard Version
If any one asks you, 'Why are you untying it?' you shall say this, 'The Lord has need of it.'"
Tyndale New Testament (1525)
And if eny man axe you why that ye loowse him: thus saye vnto him ye lorde hath nede of him.
Young's Literal Translation
and if any one doth question you, Wherefore do ye loose [it]? thus ye shall say to him -- The Lord hath need of it.'
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And yf eny ma axe you wherfore ye lowse it, saye thus vnto him. The LORDE hath nede therof.
Mace New Testament (1729)
if any one should ask you, why you untie it, let this be your answer, because the Lord has occasion for it.
Simplified Cowboy Version
And if anyone asks what you are doing, say, 'The Top Hand needs it.'"

Contextual Overview

28 And when he had said this, he went on in front of them, going up to Jerusalem. 29 And it came about that when he got near Beth-phage and Bethany by the mountain which is named the Mountain of Olives, he sent two of the disciples, 30 Saying, Go into the little town in front of you, and on going in you will see a young ass fixed with a cord, on which no man has ever been seated; let him loose and take him. 31 And if anyone says to you, Why are you taking him? say, The Lord has need of him. 32 And those whom he sent went away, and it was as he said. 33 And when they were getting the young ass, the owners of it said to them, Why are you taking the young ass? 34 And they said, The Lord has need of him. 35 And they took him to Jesus, and they put their clothing on the ass, and Jesus got on to him. 36 And while he went on his way they put their clothing down on the road in front of him. 37 And when he came near the foot of the Mountain of Olives, all the disciples with loud voices gave praise to God with joy, because of all the great works which they had seen;

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

the Lord: Psalms 24:1, Psalms 50:10-12, Matthew 21:2, Matthew 21:3, Mark 11:3-6, Acts 10:36

Reciprocal: Mark 11:2 - General Luke 22:11 - The Master John 4:1 - the Lord

Cross-References

Genesis 4:1
And the man had connection with Eve his wife, and she became with child and gave birth to Cain, and said, I have got a man from the Lord.
Genesis 6:4
There were men of great strength and size on the earth in those days; and after that, when the sons of God had connection with the daughters of men, they gave birth to children: these were the great men of old days, the men of great name.
Genesis 16:2
And Sarai said to Abram, See, the Lord has not let me have children; go in to my servant, for I may get a family through her. And Abram did as Sarai said.
Genesis 16:4
And he went in to Hagar and she became with child, and when she saw that she was with child, she no longer had any respect for her master's wife.
Genesis 19:8
See now, I have two unmarried daughters; I will send them out to you so that you may do to them whatever seems good to you: only do nothing to these men, for this is why they have come under the shade of my roof.
Genesis 19:9
And they said, Give way there. This one man, they said, came here from a strange country, and will he now be our judge? now we will do worse to you than to them; and pushing violently against Lot, they came near to get the door broken in.
Genesis 19:14
And Lot went out and said to his sons-in-law, who were married to his daughters, Come, let us go out of this place, for the Lord is about to send destruction on the town. But his sons-in-law did not take him seriously.
Genesis 19:28
And looking in the direction of Sodom and Gomorrah and the lowland, he saw the smoke of the land going up like the smoke of an oven.
Genesis 19:30
Then Lot went up out of Zoar to the mountain, and was living there with his two daughters, for fear kept him from living in Zoar: and he and his daughters made their living-place in a hole in the rock.
Deuteronomy 25:5
If brothers are living together and one of them, at his death, has no son, the wife of the dead man is not to be married outside the family to another man: let her husband's brother go in to her and make her his wife, doing as it is right for a brother-in-law to do.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And if any man ask you, why do ye loose [him]?.... As our Lord, being God omniscient, knew this question would be asked by the owners, and therefore prepares his disciples with an answer to it:

thus shall ye say unto him, because the Lord hath need of him. The Syriac and Persic versions read "our Lord", yours, and ours; probably the owners of the colt might be such as knew the Lord Jesus Christ, and by this way of speaking of him, knew, at once, who was meant, and so made no scruple of sending him, as Christ told them they would not, and so they found it; :- and

:-

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

See the notes at Matthew 21:1-16.


 
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