The Meaning of Luke 6:12 Explained

Luke 6:12

KJV: And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.

YLT: And it came to pass in those days, he went forth to the mountain to pray, and was passing the night in the prayer of God,

Darby: And it came to pass in those days that he went out into the mountain to pray, and he spent the night in prayer to God.

ASV: And it came to pass in these days, that he went out into the mountain to pray; and he continued all night in prayer to God.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And  it came to pass  in  those  days,  that he went out  into  a mountain  to pray,  and  continued all night  in  prayer  to God. 

What does Luke 6:12 Mean?

Verse Meaning

Jesus" choice of the Twelve followed His conflict with the Jewish leaders. Luke implied that that hostility played a part in Jesus" decision to spend the night in prayer before selecting the apostles. In view of mounting hostility it was imperative that He receive direction from His Father in this choice. A mountain or hill was a traditional place to pray since it provided seclusion and its elevation gave the person praying a special sense of nearness to God. Luke alone mentioned Jesus" all night prayer vigil. It shows Jesus" conscious dependence on God, a special emphasis in the third Gospel. The early church followed Jesus" example ( Acts 13:2; Acts 14:23; cf. Acts 1:2; Acts 1:24-26).

Context Summary

Luke 6:12-26 - New Leaders And New Principles
There are three circles here: First, Christ and His Apostles-the men who were to be sent into all the world to preach the gospel and to lay the foundations of the Church. How little did these single men imagine that one day their names would become inscribed on the foundation stones of the New Jerusalem!
The next circle is that of the disciples, Luke 6:17. You must be a disciple before you can be an apostle. You must learn, if you are to teach. You must sit at the feet of Jesus, till some day He calls you out from the class and commissions you to the world. The sheep becomes a shepherd.
The third great outer rim is the poor, needy world. What a gathering of sick folk! But if only people knew the distempers of their soul-life they would gather with equal eagerness to Jesus. How wonderful that secret touch! Luke 6:19. But many still touch Him in the press! [source]

Chapter Summary: Luke 6

1  Jesus reproves the Pharisees;
12  chooses apostles;
17  heals the diseased;
20  preaches to his disciples before the people: the beattitudes;
27  Love your Enemy
37  Do not Judge
43  A Tree and Its Fruit
46  The House on the Rock

Greek Commentary for Luke 6:12

He went out into the mountains to pray [εχελτειν αυτον εις το ορος προσευχασται]
Note εχ — ex - where Mark 3:13 has goeth up Luke alone has “to pray” as he so often notes the habit of prayer in Jesus. [source]
He continued all night [ην διανυκτερευων]
Periphrastic imperfect active. Here alone in the N.T., but common in the lxx and in late Greek writers. Medical writers used it of whole night vigils.In prayer to God (εν τηι προσευχηι του τεου — en tēi proseuchēi tou theou). Objective genitive του τεου — tou theou This phrase occurs nowhere else. Προσευχη — Proseuchē does not mean “place of prayer” or synagogue as in Acts 16:13, but the actual prayer of Jesus to the Father all night long. He needed the Father‘s guidance now in the choice of the Apostles in the morning. [source]
In prayer to God [εν τηι προσευχηι του τεου]
Objective genitive του τεου — tou theou This phrase occurs nowhere else. Προσευχη — Proseuchē does not mean “place of prayer” or synagogue as in Acts 16:13, but the actual prayer of Jesus to the Father all night long. He needed the Father‘s guidance now in the choice of the Apostles in the morning. [source]
A mountain [τὸ ὄρος]
The article denotes a familiar place. Rev., rightly, the mountain. [source]
Continued all night [ἦν διανυκτερεύων]
Only here in New Testament. Used in medical language. The all-night prayer is peculiar to Luke's narrative. [source]

Reverse Greek Commentary Search for Luke 6:12

Matthew 10:2 The names of the twelve apostles [των δωδεκα αποστολων τα ονοματα]
This is the official name (missionaries) used here by Matthew for the first time. The names are given here, but Matthew does not say that they were chosen at this time. Mark (Mark 3:13-19) and Luke (Luke 6:12-16) state that Jesus “chose” them, “appointed” them after a night of prayer in the mountain and came down with them and then delivered the Sermon (Luke 6:17). Simon heads the list The apostles disputed a number of times as to which was greatest. Judas Iscariot comes last each time save that he is absent in Acts, being already dead. Matthew calls him the betrayer Iscariot is usually explained as “man of Kerioth” down near Edom (Joshua 15:25). Philip comes fifth and James the son of Alphaeus the ninth. Bartholomew is the name for Nathanael. Thaddaeus is Judas the brother of James. Simon Zelotes is also called Simon the Canaanean (Zealous, Hebrew word). This is apparently their first preaching and healing tour without Jesus. He sends them forth by twos (Mark 6:7). Matthew names them in pairs, probably as they were sent out. [source]
Matthew 5:1 He went up into the mountain [ανεβη εις το ορος]
Not “a” mountain as the Authorized Version has it. The Greek article is poorly handled in most English versions. We do not know what mountain it was. It was the one there where Jesus and the crowds were. “Delitzsch calls the Mount of Beatitudes the Sinai of the New Testament” (Vincent). He apparently went up to get in closer contact with the disciples, “seeing the multitudes.” Luke (Luke 6:12) says that he went out into the mountain to pray, Mark (Mark 3:13) that he went up and called the twelve. All three purposes are true. Luke adds that after a whole night in prayer and after the choice of the twelve Jesus came down to a level place on the mountain and spoke to the multitudes from Judea to Phoenicia. The crowds are great in both Matthew and in Luke and include disciples and the other crowds. There is no real difficulty in considering the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew and the Sermon on the Plain in Luke as one and the same. See full discussion in my Harmony of the Gospels. [source]
Mark 3:13 He goeth up into the mountain [αναβαινει εις το ορος]
So Matthew (Matthew 5:1) and Luke (Luke 6:12), “to pray” Luke adds. Historical present so common in Mark‘s vivid narrative. Neither Gospel gives the name of the mountain, assuming it as well known, probably not far from the lake. [source]
Luke 6:17 He came down with them [καταβας μετ αυτων]
Second aorist active participle of καταβαινω — katabainō common verb. This was the night of prayer up in the mountain (Mark 3:13; Luke 6:12) and the choice of the Twelve next morning. The going up into the mountain of Matthew 5:1 may simply be a summary statement with no mention of what Luke has explained or may be a reference to the elevation, where he “sat down” (Matthew 5:1), above the plain or “level place” It may be a level place towards the foot of the mountain. He stopped his descent at this level place and then found a slight elevation on the mountain side and began to speak. There is not the slightest reason for making Matthew locate this sermon on the mountain and Luke in the valley as if the places, audiences, and topics were different. For the unity of the sermon see notes on Matthew 5:1. The reports in Matthew and Luke begin alike, cover the same general ground and end alike. The report in Matthew is longer chiefly because in Chapter 5, he gives the argument showing the contrast between Christ‘s conception of righteousness and that of the Jewish rabbis. Undoubtedly, Jesus repeated many of the crisp sayings here at other times as in Luke 12, but it is quite gratuitous to argue that Matthew and Luke have made up this sermon out of isolated sayings of Christ at various times. Both Matthew and Luke give too much that is local of place and audience for that idea. Matthew 5:1 speaks of “the multitudes” and “his disciples.” Luke 6:17 notes “a great multitude of his disciples, and a great number of the people from all Judea and Jerusalem, and the sea coast of Tyre and Sidon.” They agree in the presence of disciples and crowds besides the disciples from whom the twelve apostles were chosen. It is important to note how already people were coming from “the sea coast of Tyre and Sidon” “to hear him and to be healed (ιατηναι — iathēnai first aorist passive of ιαομαι — iaomai) of their diseases.” [source]
John 4:3 He left [ἀφῆκε]
The verb means literally to send away, dismiss. It is used of forgiving offenses (Matthew 6:14, note; James 5:15, note); of yielding up (Matthew 27:50, note); of letting alone (Matthew 19:14, note); of allowing or permitting (Luke 6:12, note). Its employment here is peculiar. Compare John 16:28, of Christ's leaving the world. [source]
John 17:1 Lifting up [επαρας]
First aorist active participle of επαιρω — epairō old and common verb with οπταλμους — ophthalmous (eyes) as in John 4:35; John 6:5; John 11:41. Father Vocative form as in John 16:5, John 16:11; John 11:41, Christ‘s usual way of beginning his prayers. It is inconceivable that this real Lord‘s Prayer is the free composition of a disciple put into the mouth of Jesus. It is rather “the tenacious memory of an old man recalling the greatest days of his life” (Bernard), aided by the Holy Spirit promised for this very purpose (John 14:26; John 16:13.). Jesus had the habit of prayer (Mark 1:35; Mark 6:46; Matthew 11:25.; Luke 3:21; Luke 5:16; Luke 6:12; Luke 9:18, Luke 9:28; Luke 11:22, Luke 11:42; Luke 23:34, Luke 23:46; John 11:41; John 12:27). He prayed here for himself (John 17:1-5), for the disciples (John 17:6-19), for all believers (John 17:20-26). The prayer is similar in spirit to the Model Prayer for us in Matthew 6:9-13. The hour for his glorification has come as he had already told the disciples (John 13:31.; John 12:23). Glorify thy Son First aorist active imperative of δοχαζω — doxazō the only personal petition in this prayer. Jesus had already used this word δοχαζω — doxazō for his death (John 13:31.). Here it carries us into the very depths of Christ‘s own consciousness. It is not merely for strength to meet the Cross, but for the power to glorify the Father by his death and resurrection and ascension, “that the Son may glorify thee” Purpose clause with ινα — hina and the first aorist active subjunctive. [source]

What do the individual words in Luke 6:12 mean?

It came to pass then in the days those went out He to the mountain to pray and He was spending the night - prayer - to God
Ἐγένετο δὲ ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις ταύταις ἐξελθεῖν αὐτὸν εἰς τὸ ὄρος προσεύξασθαι καὶ ἦν διανυκτερεύων τῇ προσευχῇ τοῦ Θεοῦ

Ἐγένετο  It  came  to  pass 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Middle, 3rd Person Singular
Root: γίνομαι  
Sense: to become, i.
ἡμέραις  days 
Parse: Noun, Dative Feminine Plural
Root: ἡμέρα  
Sense: the day, used of the natural day, or the interval between sunrise and sunset, as distinguished from and contrasted with the night.
ταύταις  those 
Parse: Demonstrative Pronoun, Dative Feminine Plural
Root: οὗτος  
Sense: this.
ἐξελθεῖν  went  out 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Infinitive Active
Root: ἐξέρχομαι 
Sense: to go or come forth of.
ὄρος  mountain 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Neuter Singular
Root: ὄρος  
Sense: a mountain.
προσεύξασθαι  to  pray 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Infinitive Middle
Root: προσεύχομαι  
Sense: to offer prayers, to pray.
ἦν  He  was 
Parse: Verb, Imperfect Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: εἰμί  
Sense: to be, to exist, to happen, to be present.
διανυκτερεύων  spending  the  night 
Parse: Verb, Present Participle Active, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: διανυκτερεύω  
Sense: to spend the night, to pass the whole night.
τῇ  - 
Parse: Article, Dative Feminine Singular
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
προσευχῇ  prayer 
Parse: Noun, Dative Feminine Singular
Root: προσευχή  
Sense: prayer addressed to God.
τοῦ  - 
Parse: Article, Genitive Masculine Singular
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
Θεοῦ  to  God 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Masculine Singular
Root: θεός  
Sense: a god or goddess, a general name of deities or divinities.