The Fallible Study Bible

The Fallible · Synthetic · Study Bible

Luke9:23–27

Take Up Your Cross

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Luke 9:23–27 — Take Up Your Cross. Each verse below carries the full apparatus: the Berean Standard Bible, the vocalized original (tap any word), and a parsed breakdown of every term transcribed from the interlinear. Synthesized commentary, canonical threads, and the reading of Christ gather at the end, over the whole unit.

23

Then Jesus said to all of them, “If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Greek — tap a word ↓

de Elegen pros pantas Ei tis thelei erchesthai opisō mou arnēsasthō heauton kai aratō autou ton stauron kath’ hēmeran kai akoloutheitō moi

Word by word22 · parsed
δὲdeThenG1161
√ δέ — but, and, etcConjunction
ἜλεγενElegen[Jesus] saidG2036
√ ἔπω — to speak or say (by word or writing)VerbImperfect Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
legō / epō: to say (imperfect) The imperfect Elegen frames what follows as an extended address rather than a single remark; Pulpit reads vv. 23 to 27 as the outline of a public sermon.
πρὸςprostoG4314
√ πρός — a preposition of directionPreposition
πάνταςpantasall of themG3956
√ πᾶς — all, any, every, the wholeAdjectiveAccusative Masculine Plural
pas: all “To all,” not only the Twelve. Cambridge and Gill take it as Luke’s trace of Mark 8:34, where the crowd is summoned with the disciples: the terms of discipleship are public, not esoteric.
ΕἴEiIfG1487
√ εἰ — if, whether, that, etcConjunction
τιςtisanyoneG5100
√ τὶς — some or any person or objectInterrogative / Indefinite PronounNominative Masculine Singular
θέλειtheleiwantsG2309
√ θέλω — to determine (as an active option from subjective impulseVerbPresent Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
thelō: to will, determine The condition is real (ei + present indicative): Jesus assumes some do will to come. The verb sets up the paradox of v. 24, where the same willing, aimed at self preservation, becomes fatal.
ἔρχεσθαιerchesthaito comeG2064
√ ἔρχομαι — to come or go (in a great variety of applications, literally and figuratively)VerbPresent Infinitive Middle or Passive
ὀπίσωopisōafterG3694
√ ὀπίσω — to the back, iPreposition
opisō: behind, after The posture of a disciple walking behind a teacher. Moments earlier (Mark 8:33, omitted by Luke) “behind Me” was the rebuke to Peter; here it is the place of every follower.
μουmouMeG1473
√ ἐγώ — I, mePersonal / Possessive PronounGenitive 1st Person Singular
ἀρνησάσθωarnēsasthōhe must denyG720
√ ἀρνέομαι — to contradict, iVerbAorist Imperative Middle3rd Person Singular
arneomai: to deny, disown (aorist imperative middle) To deny oneself is to refuse one’s own claim to be master, as one would disown a person. The aorist marks a decisive renunciation; the same verb in Luke 12:9 and 22:57 to 61 names disowning Christ, so the alternatives are stark: deny self, or deny Him.
ἑαυτὸνheautonhimselfG1438
√ ἑαυτοῦ — him- (her-, it-, them-, also (in conjunction with the personal pronoun of the other persons) my-, thy-, our-, your-) self (selves), etcReflexive PronounAccusative Masculine 3rd Person Singular
heautou: himself (reflexive) The object of the denial is the self, not merely certain pleasures. The reflexive returns in v. 25 (heauton) as the very self that can be lost.
καὶkaiandG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
ἀράτωaratōtake upG142
√ αἴρω — to lift upVerbAorist Imperative Active3rd Person Singular
airō: to lift up, take up (aorist imperative) The verb of picking up a burden to carry it. Pulpit recalls that the condemned man carried his own cross to execution, a sight familiar in Roman Judea; the image is not of mild inconvenience but of a man already sentenced.
αὐτοῦautouhisG846
√ αὐτός — the reflexive pronoun self, used (alone or in the comparative G1438 (ἑαυτοῦ)) of the third person , and (with the proper personal pronoun) of the other personsPersonal / Possessive PronounGenitive Masculine 3rd Person Singular
τὸνtonG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleAccusative Masculine Singular
σταυρὸνstauroncrossG4716
√ σταυρός — a stake or post (as set upright), iNounAccusative Masculine Singular
stauros: stake, cross The first mention of the cross in Luke, spoken just after the first passion prediction (9:22). Cambridge calls it a dim intimation of His still unrevealed crucifixion; the disciple’s cross is cut to the pattern of the Master’s. Geneva reads it by metonymy for the miseries of this life.
καθ’kath’vvvG2596
√ κατά — (prepositionally) down (in place or time), in varied relations (according to the case (genitive, dative or accusative) with which it is joined)Preposition
ἡμέρανhēmerandailyG2250
√ ἡμέρα — day, iNounAccusative Feminine Singular
hēmera: day (with kata) Distributive kath’ hēmeran: one cross per day, renewed. Benson: “that day is lost wherein no cross is taken up.” Ellicott and Cambridge hear Paul’s “I die daily” (1 Corinthians 15:31).
καὶkaiandG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
ἀκολουθείτωakoloutheitōfollowG190
√ ἀκολουθέω — properly, to be in the same way with, iVerbPresent Imperative Active3rd Person Singular
akoloutheō: to follow, accompany Present imperative: keep on following. Denial and cross bearing are not the goal but the conditions of a road whose end is wherever He goes, and v. 22 has just named where that is.
μοιmoiMeG1473
√ ἐγώ — I, mePersonal / Possessive PronounDative 1st Person Singular
24

For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Greek — tap a word ↓

gar hos an thelē sōsai autou tēn psychēn apolesei autēn d’ hos an apolesē autou tēn psychēn heneken emou houtos sōsei autēn

Word by word22 · parsed
γὰρgarForG1063
√ γάρ — properly, assigning a reason (used in argument, explanation or intensificationConjunction
gar: for Grounds the commands of v. 23.
ὃςhoswhoeverG3739
√ ὅς — the relatively (sometimes demonstrative) pronoun, who, which, what, thatPersonal / Relative PronounNominative Masculine Singular
ἂνan. . .G302
√ ἄν — (what-, where-, wither-, who-)soeverParticle
θέλῃthelēwantsG2309
√ θέλω — to determine (as an active option from subjective impulseVerbPresent Subjunctive Active3rd Person Singular
thelō: to will (present subjunctive) Echoes v. 23. JFB: “Is minded to save,” bent on saving; Cambridge: makes it his main will. The fault is the governing aim, not the mere desire to live.
σῶσαιsōsaito saveG4982
√ σώζω — to save, iVerbAorist Infinitive Active
sōzō: to save The same verb Luke uses for rescue, healing and final salvation (G4982, in 99 vv per the Verifier). Its double appearance frames the verse: the self saved by the self is lost; the self given up is saved by Another.
αὐτοῦautouhisG846
√ αὐτός — the reflexive pronoun self, used (alone or in the comparative G1438 (ἑαυτοῦ)) of the third person , and (with the proper personal pronoun) of the other personsPersonal / Possessive PronounGenitive Masculine 3rd Person Singular
τὴνtēnG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleAccusative Feminine Singular
ψυχὴνpsychēnlifeG5590
√ ψυχή — breath, iNounAccusative Feminine Singular
psychē: breath, life, soul The pivot of the paradox. The word spans biological life and the person before God; the saying exploits both. JFB’s “lower and higher” life and Pulpit’s “shadowy… quickly passing earthly life” versus the “enduring heaven-life” are two attempts to name the gap.
ἀπολέσειapoleseiwill loseG622
√ ἀπόλλυμι — to destroy fully (reflexively, to perish, or lose), literally or figurativelyVerbFuture Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
apollymi: to destroy fully, lose (future) Future indicative: a sure outcome, not a risk. Repeated in v. 25, it becomes the thread of loss through the unit.
αὐτήνautēnitG846
√ αὐτός — the reflexive pronoun self, used (alone or in the comparative G1438 (ἑαυτοῦ)) of the third person , and (with the proper personal pronoun) of the other personsPersonal / Possessive PronounAccusative Feminine 3rd Person Singular
δ’d’butG1161
√ δέ — but, and, etcConjunction
ὃςhoswhoeverG3739
√ ὅς — the relatively (sometimes demonstrative) pronoun, who, which, what, thatPersonal / Relative PronounNominative Masculine Singular
ἂνan. . .G302
√ ἄν — (what-, where-, wither-, who-)soeverParticle
ἀπολέσῃapolesēlosesG622
√ ἀπόλλυμι — to destroy fully (reflexively, to perish, or lose), literally or figurativelyVerbAorist Subjunctive Active3rd Person Singular
apollymi (aorist subjunctive) The same verb now chosen, not suffered. The grammar of the two halves mirrors: one man loses involuntarily, the other loses willingly.
αὐτοῦautouhisG846
√ αὐτός — the reflexive pronoun self, used (alone or in the comparative G1438 (ἑαυτοῦ)) of the third person , and (with the proper personal pronoun) of the other personsPersonal / Possessive PronounGenitive Masculine 3rd Person Singular
τὴνtēnG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleAccusative Feminine Singular
ψυχὴνpsychēnlifeG5590
√ ψυχή — breath, iNounAccusative Feminine Singular
ἕνεκενhenekenfor My sakeG1752
√ ἕνεκα — on account ofPreposition
heneka: on account of The qualifier that keeps the saying from being a general praise of self sacrifice. Cambridge and Pulpit point to 2 Timothy 2:11 to 12 (“If we died with Him, we will also live with Him”) as an early Christian echo.
ἐμοῦemou. . .G1473
√ ἐγώ — I, mePersonal / Possessive PronounGenitive 1st Person Singular
οὗτοςhoutosG3778
√ οὗτος — the he (she or it), iDemonstrative PronounNominative Masculine Singular
σώσειsōseiwill saveG4982
√ σώζω — to save, iVerbFuture Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
sōzō: will save (future) The second future seals the reversal; the subject is the man, but the condition (for My sake) makes Christ the real ground of the saving.
αὐτήνautēnitG846
√ αὐτός — the reflexive pronoun self, used (alone or in the comparative G1438 (ἑαυτοῦ)) of the third person , and (with the proper personal pronoun) of the other personsPersonal / Possessive PronounAccusative Feminine 3rd Person Singular
25

What does it profit a man to gain the whole world, yet lose or forfeit his very self?

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Greek — tap a word ↓

gar Ti ōpheleitai anthrōpos kerdēsas ton holon kosmon de apolesas ē zēmiōtheis heauton

Word by word13 · parsed
γὰρgarG1063
√ γάρ — properly, assigning a reason (used in argument, explanation or intensificationConjunction
gar: for A second ground, now in the form of a ledger.
ΤίTiWhatG5101
√ τίς — an interrogative pronoun, who, which or what (in direct or indirect questions)Interrogative / Indefinite PronounAccusative Neuter Singular
ὠφελεῖταιōpheleitaidoes it profitG5623
√ ὠφελέω — to be useful, iVerbPresent Indicative Middle or Passive3rd Person Singular
ōpheleō: to be useful, profit (present passive) “What is a man benefited?” The question is put in the language of profit and loss, the logic of the man who seeks to save his life, and turned against him.
ἄνθρωποςanthrōposa manG444
√ ἄνθρωπος — from G3700 (ὀπτάνομαι))NounNominative Masculine Singular
κερδήσαςkerdēsasto gainG2770
√ κερδαίνω — to gain (literally or figuratively)VerbAorist Participle ActiveNominative Masculine Singular
kerdainō: to gain A trader’s word (in 16 vv per the Verifier). Paul uses the same pair, gain and loss, in Philippians 3:8 to count everything loss to gain Christ: the ledger reversed.
τὸνtontheG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleAccusative Masculine Singular
ὅλονholonwholeG3650
√ ὅλος — "whole" or "all", iAdjectiveAccusative Masculine Singular
κόσμονkosmonworldG2889
√ κόσμος — orderly arrangement, iNounAccusative Masculine Singular
kosmos: orderly arrangement, world “The whole world” is the maximal hypothetical. Cambridge records that Ignatius Loyola won Francis Xavier by repeating this verse.
δὲdeyetG1161
√ δέ — but, and, etcConjunction
ἀπολέσαςapolesasloseG622
√ ἀπόλλυμι — to destroy fully (reflexively, to perish, or lose), literally or figurativelyVerbAorist Participle ActiveNominative Masculine Singular
apollymi: to destroy (aorist participle active) The third use of the verb in two verses. Ellicott: the first word “expresses a more direct act, as of self destruction.”
ἢēorG2228
√ ἤ — disjunctive, orConjunction
ζημιωθείςzēmiōtheisforfeitG2210
√ ζημιόω — to injure, iVerbAorist Participle PassiveNominative Masculine Singular
zēmioō: to suffer loss, be fined (passive) A rare term (6 vv), used by Paul in Philippians 3:8 and 1 Corinthians 3:15 of loss in the reckoning. Ellicott calls it “a slightly softened aspect” of the previous verb; the passive hints at a loss assessed by another, the Judge whom v. 26 will introduce.
ἑαυτὸνheautonhis very selfG1438
√ ἑαυτοῦ — him- (her-, it-, them-, also (in conjunction with the personal pronoun of the other persons) my-, thy-, our-, your-) self (selves), etcReflexive PronounAccusative Masculine 3rd Person Singular
heautou: himself Luke’s distinctive reflexive in place of psychē. The self that v. 23 commanded to be denied is the self that v. 25 warns can be destroyed: deny it and it is kept; keep it and it is lost.
26

If anyone is ashamed of Me and My words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when He comes in His glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Greek — tap a word ↓

gar hos an epaischynthē me kai emous tous logous ho Huios tou anthrōpou epaischynthēsetai touton hotan elthē en autou tē doxē kai tou Patros kai tōn hagiōn angelōn

Word by word28 · parsed
γὰρgarG1063
√ γάρ — properly, assigning a reason (used in argument, explanation or intensificationConjunction
ὃςhosIf anyoneG3739
√ ὅς — the relatively (sometimes demonstrative) pronoun, who, which, what, thatPersonal / Relative PronounNominative Masculine Singular
ἂνan. . .G302
√ ἄν — (what-, where-, wither-, who-)soeverParticle
ἐπαισχυνθῇepaischynthēis ashamed ofG1870
√ ἐπαισχύνομαι — to feel shame for somethingVerbAorist Subjunctive Passive3rd Person Singular
epaischynomai: to feel shame for Shame is a social verdict: the fear of being lowered in others’ eyes. JFB calls it one of the strongest instincts, counteracted only by “the ‘expulsive power’ of a higher affection.” Paul’s reuse (Romans 1:16; 2 Timothy 1:8, 12, 16) shows the early church heard this saying as a standing call to open confession.
μεmeMeG1473
√ ἐγώ — I, mePersonal / Possessive PronounAccusative 1st Person Singular
καὶkaiandG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
ἐμοὺςemousMyG1699
√ ἐμός — myPersonal / Possessive PronounAccusative Masculine 1st Person Plural
emos: my The emphatic possessive (emous rather than mou): My words, as distinct from anyone else’s.
τοὺςtousG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleAccusative Masculine Plural
λόγουςlogouswordsG3056
√ λόγος — something said (including the thought)NounAccusative Masculine Plural
logos: word, saying His teaching, including the hard saying just given. To be ashamed of the cross saying is to be ashamed of Him.
ὁhotheG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleNominative Masculine Singular
ΥἱὸςHuiosSonG5207
√ υἱός — a "son" (sometimes of animals), used very widely of immediate, remote or figuratively, kinshipNounNominative Masculine Singular
huios: son “The Son of Man,” Jesus’ self designation, here explicitly the one who “comes in glory” with angels, the figure of Daniel 7:13 to 14. In v. 22 the same title named the one who must suffer: the sufferer and the Judge are one person.
τοῦtouG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleGenitive Masculine Singular
ἀνθρώπουanthrōpouof ManG444
√ ἄνθρωπος — from G3700 (ὀπτάνομαι))NounGenitive Masculine Singular
ἐπαισχυνθήσεταιepaischynthēsetaiwill be ashamed ofG1870
√ ἐπαισχύνομαι — to feel shame for somethingVerbFuture Indicative Passive3rd Person Singular
epaischynomai (future passive) Reciprocal judgment: the response matches the offence. Pulpit hears the award “Depart from me: I know you not”; JFB, the “shame and everlasting contempt” of Daniel 12:2.
τοῦτονtoutonhimG3778
√ οὗτος — the he (she or it), iDemonstrative PronounAccusative Masculine Singular
ὅτανhotanwhenG3752
√ ὅταν — whenever (implying hypothesis or more or less uncertainty)Conjunction
ἔλθῃelthēHe comesG2064
√ ἔρχομαι — to come or go (in a great variety of applications, literally and figuratively)VerbAorist Subjunctive Active3rd Person Singular
erchomai: to come (aorist subjunctive) With hotan, “whenever He comes”: certain in fact, unspecified in date. This is the coming, not the cross, of the Son of Man.
ἐνeninG1722
√ ἐν — "in," at, (up-)on, by, etcPreposition
αὐτοῦautouHisG846
√ αὐτός — the reflexive pronoun self, used (alone or in the comparative G1438 (ἑαυτοῦ)) of the third person , and (with the proper personal pronoun) of the other personsPersonal / Possessive PronounGenitive Masculine 3rd Person Singular
τῇtēG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleDative Feminine Singular
δόξῃdoxēgloryG1391
√ δόξα — glory (as very apparent), in a wide application (literal or figurative, objective or subjective)NounDative Feminine Singular
doxa: glory Glory “as very apparent.” Luke alone has “His own glory”; Gill reads it of His human, mediatorial and divine glory together. The word anticipates 9:32, where the three disciples “saw His glory.”
καὶkaiandG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
τοῦtou[in the glory] of theG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleGenitive Masculine Singular
ΠατρὸςPatrosFatherG3962
√ πατήρ — a "father" (literally or figuratively, near or more remote)NounGenitive Masculine Singular
patēr: father The Son’s glory is also the Father’s: Gill calls it “the same with his own, as he is the Son of God.”
καὶkaiandG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
τῶνtōnof theG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleGenitive Masculine Plural
ἁγίωνhagiōnholyG40
√ ἅγιος — sacred (physically, pure, morally blameless or religious, ceremonially, consecrated)AdjectiveGenitive Masculine Plural
ἀγγέλωνangelōnangelsG32
√ ἄγγελος — compare G34 (ἀγέλη)) (to bring tidings)NounGenitive Masculine Plural
angelos: messenger, angel The holy angels attend the coming as the court before which the verdict of shame is pronounced.
27

But I tell you truly, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God.”

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Greek — tap a word ↓

de legō hymin alēthōs tines tōn eisin hestēkotōn autou hoi ou mē geusōntai thanatou heōs an idōsin tēn basileian tou Theou

Word by word21 · parsed
δὲdeButG1161
√ δέ — but, and, etcConjunction
λέγωlegōI tellG3004
√ λέγω — properly, to "lay" forth, iVerbPresent Indicative Active1st Person Singular
ὑμῖνhyminyouG4771
√ σύ — thouPersonal / Possessive PronounDative 2nd Person Plural
ἀληθῶςalēthōstrulyG230
√ ἀληθῶς — trulyAdverb
alēthōs: truly A solemn guarantee attaching the promise to the warning of v. 26.
τινεςtinessomeG5100
√ τὶς — some or any person or objectInterrogative / Indefinite PronounNominative Masculine Plural
τῶνtōnwhoG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleGenitive Masculine Plural
εἰσίνeisinareG1510
√ εἰμί — I exist (used only when emphatic)VerbPresent Indicative Active3rd Person Plural
ἑστηκότωνhestēkotōnstandingG2476
√ ἵστημι — to stand (transitively or intransitively), used in various applications (literally or figuratively)VerbPerfect Participle ActiveGenitive Masculine Plural
histēmi: to stand (perfect participle) “Those who have taken their stand here”: the present hearers, which Pulpit stresses included the crowd, not only the Twelve.
αὐτοῦautouhereG847
√ αὐτοῦ — properly, belonging to the same spot, iAdverb
autou: here, in this place (adverb) A rare local adverb (4 vv) identical in form to the common pronoun.
οἳhoiG3739
√ ὅς — the relatively (sometimes demonstrative) pronoun, who, which, what, thatPersonal / Relative PronounNominative Masculine Plural
οὐouvvvG3756
√ οὐ — the absolute negative (compare G3361 (μή)) adverbAdverb
μὴmēvvvG3361
√ μή — (adverb) not, (conjunction) lestAdverb
γεύσωνταιgeusōntaiwill not tasteG1089
√ γεύομαι — to tasteVerbAorist Subjunctive Middle3rd Person Plural
geuomai: to taste (aorist subjunctive middle) With ou mē, an emphatic promise that some will not die first. Hebrews 2:9 uses the same idiom of Jesus, who “tasted death for everyone”: He tastes what His followers are spared before they see the kingdom.
θανάτουthanatoudeathG2288
√ θάνατος — (properly, an adjective used as a noun) death (literally or figuratively)NounGenitive Masculine Singular
ἕωςheōsbeforeG2193
√ ἕως — a conjunction, preposition and adverb of continuance, until (of time and place)Conjunction
heōs an: until Marks a limit, not a claim that they die immediately after.
ἂνan. . .G302
√ ἄν — (what-, where-, wither-, who-)soeverParticle
ἴδωσινidōsinthey seeG3708
√ ὁράω — by extension, to attend toVerbAorist Subjunctive Active3rd Person Plural
horaō: to see To see with understanding. What exactly is seen is the interpretive crux (see apparatus).
τὴνtēntheG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleAccusative Feminine Singular
βασιλείανbasileiankingdomG932
√ βασιλεία — properly, royalty, iNounAccusative Feminine Singular
basileia: royalty, kingdom Luke has simply “the kingdom of God,” without Mark’s “come in power” or Matthew’s “Son of Man coming in His kingdom” (Cambridge). Candidates offered by the voices: the Transfiguration that immediately follows (9:28 to 36), the Resurrection and Pentecost (Pulpit, Gill), the destruction of Jerusalem (Gill), the kingdom’s establishment in that generation (JFB).
τοῦtouG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleGenitive Masculine Singular
ΘεοῦTheouof GodG2316
√ θεός — figuratively, a magistrateNounGenitive Masculine Singular

The verse-by-verse work is done. What follows gathers the whole unit. All three layers below are machine-generated (⚙). Weigh them; they have no authority.

⚙

Grand Commentary — the unit, read whole

synthesis · verify

AI synthesis — woven from the public-domain voices above and the original text; generated and fallible.

i. The terms of the road — Luke 9:23

Directly after the first prediction of His own suffering (9:22), Jesus speaks “to all” (πρὸς πάντας); Cambridge and Gill take the word as Luke’s trace of Mark’s summoned crowd. Three third person imperatives follow: ἀρνησάσθω “let him deny,” ἀράτω “let him take up,” both aorist, and ἀκολουθείτω “let him keep following,” present. The cross is named here for the first time in Luke; Cambridge calls it “a dim intimation of the still unrevealed imminence of His crucifixion,” while Geneva reads it by metonymy for “the miseries of this life.” Luke alone adds καθ’ ἡμέραν, “daily,” which Benson presses hard (“that day is lost wherein no cross is taken up”) and Ellicott and Cambridge connect to Paul’s “I die daily.” Gill defends the word against its absence in some copies.

ii. The paradox of the soul — Luke 9:24 to 25

The γάρ grounds the command in a reversal: whoever wills to save his ψυχή will destroy it; whoever loses it “on account of Me” will save it. JFB locates the pith in “the double sense attached to the word ‘life,’ a lower and a higher”; Cambridge and Pulpit gloss psychē as the natural life whose interests lie in the earth. Verse 25 recasts the same truth as a ledger: κερδήσας “having gained” the whole world, yet ἀπολέσας “having destroyed” or ζημιωθείς “having been made to forfeit” himself. Ellicott distinguishes the direct act of self destruction from the softer forfeiture; Gill hears in both a final, everlasting loss. Henry draws the practical line: “It is well or ill with us, according as it is well or ill with our souls.”

iii. Shame answered by shame, and a kingdom glimpsed — Luke 9:26 to 27

The ledger ends at a tribunal. The verb ἐπαισχύνομαι is used twice: the disciple’s shame (subjunctive, hypothetical) is met by the Son of Man’s (future indicative, certain). JFB calls it rendering “to that man his own treatment,” before “the most august of all assemblies.” Luke alone writes “His own glory” beside the Father’s and the angels’ (Ellicott, comparing John 17:5). Pulpit sees the paradox of the scene: in “the poor rejected Rabbi” stands “the Almighty Judge of quick and dead.” Verse 27 closes with an emphatic promise (οὐ μὴ) that some present will see the kingdom of God before tasting death. The voices divide on what is seen: JFB the kingdom’s establishment, Gill the gospel’s spread and Jerusalem’s fall, Pulpit the Resurrection witnesses, explicitly rejecting the Transfiguration reading that Luke’s very next paragraph invites.

Read under Sola Scriptura — this tool’s own fallible reading (⚙)

⚙ Read within Luke alone, the unit is built on one word pattern: the self (heauton) that v. 23 commands to be denied is the self (heauton) that v. 25 warns can be destroyed. The disciple does not choose between self and no self; he chooses which loss to accept: the daily, voluntary loss of the self’s claim to rule, or the final, imposed forfeiture of the self entire. The phrase “for My sake” keeps this from becoming a general ethic of renunciation: loss saves only when it is loss on account of Him, the one who in v. 22 goes first to rejection and death and in v. 26 returns in glory. Verse 27 then sets a near horizon beside the far one. Because Luke places the Transfiguration immediately after, this tool reads the promise as first answered on the mountain (a seen glory) and more fully in the Resurrection and the kingdom’s going out, while holding that the text itself does not specify. This reading is fallible and offered to be tested against the whole of Scripture.

The self you refuse to deny is the self you will one day forfeit; the self you lose for His sake is the self He keeps.

⚙

Canonical Threads — out to the whole of Scripture

cross-refs · verify

AI-generated connections. Each carries a verification badge with a recorded basis; contested links are flagged.

The forfeited self in the Synoptic parallels verbal / quotation: confirmed

Mark 8:36 and Matthew 16:26 carry the same saying with the same rare verb ζημιόω. Where both parallels write psychē as the thing forfeited, Luke 9:25 writes ἑαυτόν, “himself,” making explicit that the soul at stake is the person. Ellicott and Cambridge both comment on the Lukan wording. This is a shared saying of Jesus across the Synoptics, not a quotation of one Gospel by another.

Mark 8:36 · Matthew 16:26

basis: Verifier: shared Greek lexemes G2210 zēmioō (in 6 vv, rare), G5590 psychē (in 92 vv), G2889 kosmos (in 151 vv); a Synoptic parallel of the same logion

Paul’s reversed ledger: gain and forfeiture structural / thematic: confirmed

Philippians 3:8 uses the same two trade words that frame Luke 9:25, κερδαίνω “gain” and ζημιόω “suffer loss”: Paul says he has “suffered the loss of all things” that he may “gain Christ.” Jesus’ hypothetical man gains the world and forfeits himself; Paul forfeits the world and gains Christ. The pairing of two uncommon lexemes is a real verbal link, but Paul does not quote the saying, so the link is tiered as a shared motif.

Philippians 3:8

basis: Verifier: shared Greek lexemes G2210 zēmioō (in 6 vv) and G2770 kerdainō (in 16 vv); verbal and thematic echo, no quotation claim

“I am not ashamed”: the apostolic answer to v. 26 verbal / quotation: confirmed

The rare compound ἐπαισχύνομαι (in 9 vv) recurs where Paul confesses or urges confession: “I am not ashamed of the gospel” (Romans 1:16); “do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord” (2 Timothy 1:8); “I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed” (2 Timothy 1:12). Cambridge cites 2 Timothy 1:8 and 1:12 at this verse. The early church appears to have heard Jesus’ warning as a standing summons; Paul never cites the saying explicitly, so the link is verbal, not a quotation.

Romans 1:16 · 2 Timothy 1:8 · 2 Timothy 1:12

basis: Verifier: shared rare Greek lexeme G1870 epaischynomai (in 9 vv); verbal echo cited by Cambridge, not a direct quotation

The Son of Man coming in glory: Daniel’s vision structural / thematic: confirmed

“The Son of Man… when He comes in His glory… and of the holy angels” draws on the figure of Daniel 7:13 to 14, one like a son of man coming with the clouds to receive dominion and glory before the Ancient of Days. JFB adds Daniel 12:2 for the “shame and everlasting contempt” that the disowning man receives. The link is cross-Testament (Greek to Hebrew and Aramaic), so no shared Strong’s number can ground it; it rests on the shared title and scene.

Daniel 7:13 · Daniel 12:2

basis: Cross-Testament motif (Son of Man coming in glory before a heavenly court; shame and contempt at judgment); cited by JFB for Daniel 12:2; no shared Strong's lexeme possible across Greek and Hebrew/Aramaic

“I die daily”: the daily cross in Paul structural / thematic: confirmed

Ellicott and Cambridge both connect Luke’s unique καθ’ ἡμέραν with Paul’s “I die daily” (1 Corinthians 15:31), and Cambridge adds Romans 8:36, “For Your sake we face death all day long.” The link is thematic: daily exposure to death for Christ’s sake. The Verifier did not compute a lexical basis for these pairs, so the badge records the commentators as the source.

1 Corinthians 15:31 · Romans 8:36

basis: Commentator cross references (Ellicott, Cambridge); shared motif of daily dying for Christ's sake; no Verifier lexical basis computed

Which kingdom did they see? The Transfiguration question flagged: verify source

Luke follows v. 27 directly with “about eight days after these sayings” (9:28) and the Transfiguration, where Peter, John and James “saw His glory” (9:32). Many read the promise as fulfilled there, and 2 Peter 1:16 to 18 recalls that event as eyewitness of majesty. But Pulpit explicitly rejects this reading (the promise was to a mixed crowd, and only three saw); JFB, Gill and Pulpit propose the kingdom’s establishment, Jerusalem’s fall, or the Resurrection. The fulfilment referent is contested, so the link is flagged.

Luke 9:28 · Luke 9:32 · 2 Peter 1:16

basis: Contested interpretation: the voices disagree on the referent of 'the kingdom of God' in 9:27 (Pulpit rejects the Transfiguration; JFB, Gill propose other events); narrative adjacency only, no lexical basis computed

⚙Christ in the Unittypology · verify

AI-generated reading; weigh it against the text.

The cross before the crown: the Son of Man who suffers and comes ancient/widely-held

⚙ The unit is spoken under the shadow of 9:22 (“The Son of Man must suffer many things… and be killed, and on the third day be raised”) and closes with the same Son of Man coming in glory (9:26). The disciple’s path in v. 23 is cut to the pattern of His: deny, take up the cross, follow, because He goes first. Luke makes the same order explicit after the Resurrection: “Was it not necessary for the Christ to suffer these things and then to enter His glory?” (24:26). Cambridge hears the coming crucifixion behind “take up his cross”; Pulpit sees in “the poor rejected Rabbi” the “Almighty Judge of quick and dead.” This suffering to glory reading is the apostolic one.

Luke 9:22 · Luke 24:26 · Daniel 7:13

The one who lost His life and saved it ancient/widely-held

⚙ Verse 24 is a description before it is a command. Jesus is the one man who, wholly “for” another (the Father’s will, and His people), lost His psychē and received it back; Philippians 2:8 to 9 traces the same arc (“obedient to death, even death on a cross. Therefore God exalted Him”). The disciple’s saving loss is possible only as union with His. Cambridge and Pulpit reach for 2 Timothy 2:11 to 12 (“If we died with Him, we will also live with Him”), which states exactly this participation.

Philippians 2:8 · 2 Timothy 2:11

The Son who is not ashamed of His brothers novel

⚙ The rare verb of v. 26 reappears in Hebrews 2:11: Jesus “is not ashamed to call them brothers,” and Hebrews 11:16: God “is not ashamed to be called their God.” Read together, the warning of Luke 9:26 has a gospel underside: the Son of Man who will disown those ashamed of Him first took on their flesh and their shame, and is not ashamed of those He sanctifies. The Verifier confirms the shared lexeme (G1870, in 9 vv); the theological pairing is this tool’s own and is offered as such.

Hebrews 2:11 · Hebrews 11:16

Apparatus & Provenance

The biblical text is the Berean Standard Bible (BSB), public domain (CC0). Hebrew/Greek text, transliteration, morphology and Strong’s are transcribed from the Berean interlinear (CC0) + Strong’s lexicons (PD); the literal renderings, divergence notes, word notes and all synthesis are this tool’s own work (⚙) — fallible; verify them.

Named voices, quoted verbatim from public-domain works:

  • Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges, — (1880s)
  • Charles Ellicott, Commentary for English Readers (1878)
  • Geneva Study Bible, Marginal Notes (1599)
  • Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory (1871)
  • John Gill, Exposition of the Entire Bible (1746–63)
  • Joseph Benson, Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1810s)
  • Matthew Henry, Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible (1706)
  • The Pulpit Commentary, Spence & Exell, eds. (1880s)

Text. Luke’s καθ’ ἡμέραν (“daily,” v. 23) is the unit’s one noted variant: Gill records Beza’s report that it is absent from the Complutensian edition and five ancient copies, but present in others, the Vulgate and the Oriental versions; the Berean interlinear and BSB include it. The adverb αὐτοῦ in v. 27 is G847 (“here”), not the pronoun G846.

Sources. The Barnes entries supplied for every verse of this unit are his note on 9:20 (“The Christ of God”), not on these verses, so Barnes is not cited. Poole’s entries are cross references only. Henry’s single paragraph covers 9:18 to 27 and is used once. Pulpit’s 9:25 voice is Pulpit quoting Godet.

Uncertain. The referent of “the kingdom of God” in v. 27 is genuinely disputed among the cited voices (see the flagged thread). The Daniel thread is cross-Testament and cannot carry a lexical basis. The Hebrews 2:11 christological pairing is marked novel.

✦ = human, public-domain source, quoted and named. ⚙ = machine synthesis, to be verified. Flagged cross-references are left visible on purpose — the verifier working in the open. “Search the Scriptures daily, whether those things were so.” (Acts 17:11)