The Meaning of Luke 20:42 Explained

Luke 20:42

KJV: And David himself saith in the book of Psalms, The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand,

YLT: and David himself saith in the Book of Psalms, The Lord said to my lord, Sit thou on my right hand,

Darby: and David himself says in the book of Psalms, The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at my right hand

ASV: For David himself saith in the book of Psalms, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand,

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And  David  himself  saith  in  the book  of Psalms,  The LORD  said  unto my  Lord,  Sit thou  on  my  right hand, 

What does Luke 20:42 Mean?

Context Summary

Luke 20:41-47 - David's Lord Testing Men And Women
It was the Master's turn to question. As man, He was David's descendant and son; as the Son of God, He was his Lord. Though it sealed His doom, our Lord tore the veil from before these hypocrites, that when He had passed, His followers might be warned against these sunken rocks, Judges 1:12.
We note the difference between the false teachers, who devoured widows' houses, and the true Leader and Teacher, who set so high a value on a widow's gift. Our gifts to God should cost us something, else they are not reckoned in the accounts of eternity. The real value of a gift is to be estimated by what is left behind. Remember that the fragrance and beauty of this act have lasted, while the stones of the Temple have crumbled to dust. Holy deeds are imperishable! Jesus is still sitting by the treasury, watching and estimating our gifts. [source]

Chapter Summary: Luke 20

1  Jesus confirms his authority by a question of John's baptism
9  The parable of the vineyard
19  Of giving tribute to Caesar
27  He instructs the Sadducees, who denied the resurrection
41  How Jesus is the Son of David
45  He warns his disciples to beware of the scribes

Greek Commentary for Luke 20:42

For David himself [αυτος γαρ Δαυειδ]
This language of Jesus clearly means that he treats David as the author of Psalm 110:1-7. The inspiration of this Psalm is expressly stated in Mark 12:36; Matthew 22:43 (which see) and the Messianic character of the Psalm in all three Synoptics who all quote the lxx practically alike. Modern criticism that denies the Davidic authorship of this Psalm has to say either that Jesus was ignorant of the fact about it or that he declined to disturb the current acceptation of the Davidic authorship. Certainly modern scholars are not agreed on the authorship of Psalm 110:1-7. Meanwhile one can certainly be excused for accepting the natural implication of the words of Jesus here, “David himself.” [source]
In the book of the Psalms [εν βιβλωι Πσαλμων]
Compare Luke 3:4 “in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet.” [source]

Reverse Greek Commentary Search for Luke 20:42

John 5:47 Writings [γράμμασιν]
It is important to understand the precise sense of this word, because it goes to determine whether Jesus intended an antithesis between Moses' writings and His own words, or simply between Moses ( ἐκείνου ) and Himself ( ἐμοῖς ). Γράμμα primarily means what is written. Hence it may describe either a single character or a document. From this general notion several forms develop themselves in the New Testament. The word occurs in its narrower sense of characters, at Luke 23:38; 2 Corinthians 3:7; Galatians 6:11. In Acts 28:21, it means official communications. Paul, with a single exception (2 Corinthians 3:7), uses it of the letter of scripture as contrasted with its spirit (Romans 2:27, Romans 2:29; Romans 7:6; 2 Corinthians 3:6). In Luke 16:6, Luke 16:7, it denotes a debtor's bond (A.V., bill ). In John 7:15, Acts 26:24) it is used in the plural as a general term for scriptural and Rabbinical learning. Compare Sept., Isaiah 29:11, Isaiah 29:12) where a learned man is described as ἐπιτάμενος γράμματα , acquainted with letters. Once it is used collectively of the sacred writings - the scriptures (2 Timothy 3:15), though some give it a wider reference to Rabbinical exegesis, as well as to scripture itself. Among the Alexandrian Greeks the term is not confined to elementary instruction, but includes exposition, based, however, on critical study of the text. The tendency of such exegesis was often toward mystical and allegorical interpretation, degenerating into a petty ingenuity in fixing new and recondite meanings upon the old and familiar forms. This was illustrated by the Neo-Platonists' expositions of Homer, and by the Rabbinical exegesis. Men unacquainted with such studies, especially if they appeared as public teachers, would be regarded as ignorant by the Jews of the times of Christ and the Apostles. Hence the question respecting our Lord Himself: How knoweth this man letters ( γράμματα John 7:15)? Also the comment upon Peter and John (Acts 4:13) that they were unlearned ( ἀγράμματοι ). Thus, too, those who discovered in the Old Testament scriptures references to Christ, would be stigmatized by Pagans, as following the ingenious and fanciful method of the Jewish interpreters, which they held in contempt. Some such feeling may have provoked the words of Festus to Paul: Much learning ( πολλά γράμματα ) doth make thee mad (Acts 26:24). It is well known with what minute care the literal transcription of the sacred writings was guarded. The Scribes ( γραμματεῖς ) were charged with producing copies according to the letter ( κατὰ τὸ γράμμα ). -DIVIDER-
-DIVIDER-
The one passage in second Timothy cannot be urged in favor of the general use of the term for the scriptures, especially since the best texts reject the article before ἱερὰ γράμμα , so that the meaning is apparently more general: “thou hast known sacred writings.” The familiar formula for the scriptures was αἱ γραφαὶ ἁγίαι . A single book of the collection of writings was known as βιβλίον (Luke 4:17), or βίβλος (Luke 20:42); never γραφή , which was the term for a particular passage. See on Mark 12:10. -DIVIDER-
-DIVIDER-
It seems to me, therefore, that the antithesis between the writings of Moses, superstitiously reverenced in the letter, and minutely and critically searched and expounded by the Jews, and the living words ( ῥήμασιν , see on Luke 1:37), is to be recognized. This, however, need not exclude the other antithesis between Moses and Jesus personally. -DIVIDER-
-DIVIDER-
[source]

John 5:47 His writings [τοις εκεινου γραμμασιν]
Dative case with πιστυετε — pistuete See Luke 16:31 for a like argument. The authority of Moses was the greatest of all for Jews. There is a contrast also between writings Γραμμα — Gramma may mean the mere letter as opposed to spirit (2 Corinthians 3:6; Romans 2:27, Romans 2:29; Romans 7:6), a debtor‘s bond (Luke 16:6.), letters or learning (John 7:15; Acts 26:24) like αγραμματοι — agrammatoi for unlearned (Acts 4:13), merely written characters (Luke 23:38; 2 Corinthians 3:7; Galatians 6:11), official communications (Acts 28:21), once ιερα γραμματα — hiera grammata for the sacred writings (2 Timothy 3:15) instead of the more usual αι αγιαι γραπαι — hai hagiai graphai Γραπη — Graphē is used also for a single passage (Mark 12:10), but βιβλιον — biblion for a book or roll (Luke 4:17) or βιβλος — biblos (Luke 20:42). Jesus clearly states the fact that Moses wrote portions of the Old Testament, what portions he does not say. See also Luke 24:27, Luke 24:44 for the same idea. There was no answer from the rabbis to this conclusion of Christ. The scribes (οι γραμματεις — hoi grammateis) made copies according to the letter (κατα το γραμμα — kata to gramma). [source]

What do the individual words in Luke 20:42 mean?

Himself for David says in [the] book of Psalms Said [the] Lord to the Lord of me Sit at [the] right hand
αὐτὸς γὰρ Δαυὶδ λέγει ἐν βίβλῳ ψαλμῶν Εἶπεν Κύριος τῷ Κυρίῳ μου Κάθου ἐκ δεξιῶν

αὐτὸς  Himself 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Nominative Masculine 3rd Person Singular
Root: αὐτός  
Sense: himself, herself, themselves, itself.
Δαυὶδ  David 
Parse: Noun, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: Δαβίδ 
Sense: second king of Israel, and ancestor of Jesus Christ.
λέγει  says 
Parse: Verb, Present Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: λέγω 
Sense: to say, to speak.
βίβλῳ  [the]  book 
Parse: Noun, Dative Feminine Singular
Root: βίβλος  
Sense: a written book, a roll, a scroll.
ψαλμῶν  of  Psalms 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Masculine Plural
Root: ψαλμός  
Sense: a striking, twanging.
Εἶπεν  Said 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: λέγω  
Sense: to speak, say.
Κύριος  [the]  Lord 
Parse: Noun, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: κύριος  
Sense: he to whom a person or thing belongs, about which he has power of deciding; master, lord.
τῷ  to  the 
Parse: Article, Dative Masculine Singular
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
Κυρίῳ  Lord 
Parse: Noun, Dative Masculine Singular
Root: κύριος  
Sense: he to whom a person or thing belongs, about which he has power of deciding; master, lord.
μου  of  me 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Genitive 1st Person Singular
Root: ἐγώ  
Sense: I, me, my.
Κάθου  Sit 
Parse: Verb, Present Imperative Middle or Passive, 2nd Person Singular
Root: κάθημαι  
Sense: to sit down, seat one’s self.
ἐκ  at 
Parse: Preposition
Root: ἐκ 
Sense: out of, from, by, away from.
δεξιῶν  [the]  right  hand 
Parse: Adjective, Genitive Neuter Plural
Root: δεξιός  
Sense: the right, the right hand.