The Meaning of Luke 11:28 Explained

Luke 11:28

KJV: But he said, Yea rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it.

YLT: And he said, 'Yea, rather, happy those hearing the word of God, and keeping it!'

Darby: But he said, Yea rather, blessed are they who hear the word of God and keep it.

ASV: But he said, Yea rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

But  he  said,  Yea rather,  blessed  [are] they that hear  the word  of God,  and  keep  it. 

What does Luke 11:28 Mean?

Context Summary

Luke 11:27-32 - "the Sign Of Jonah"
What a tribute this woman paid our Lord! He was full of grace as well as truth; and those who, with unbiased and unprejudiced minds, saw Him moving among men, were constrained to confess His inimitable beauty. Notice that the simplest soul that hears and obeys God's Word is equally beatified with His mother, Luke 11:28.
Men will be judged by the opportunities they have had. Every age and every race and every individual on which the sun has ever shone has had a chance. Not our chance, but a chance suited to the spiritual vision of each, John 1:9; Romans 1:20; Romans 2:5, etc. So God will be able to judge all men. But in how many cases will they who have not had our advantages be found in a higher class in the great University of Heaven than some of us who have lived amid the light of Christ! [source]

Chapter Summary: Luke 11

1  Jesus teaches us to pray, and that instantly;
11  assuring us that God will give all good things to those who ask him
14  He, casting out a demon, rebukes the blasphemous Pharisees;
27  and shows who are blessed;
29  preaches to the people;
37  and reprimands the outward show of holiness

Greek Commentary for Luke 11:28

But he said [αυτος δε ειπεν]
Jesus in contrast turns attention to others and gives them a beatitude “The originality of Christ‘s reply guarantees its historical character. Such a comment is beyond the reach of an inventor” (Plummer). [source]

Reverse Greek Commentary Search for Luke 11:28

Luke 11:27 As he said these things [εν τωι λεγειν αυτον]
Luke‘s common idiom, εν — en with articular infinitive. Luke 11:27, Luke 11:28 are peculiar to Luke. His Gospel in a special sense is the Gospel of Woman. This woman “speaks well, but womanly” (Bengel). Her beatitude She is fulfilling Mary‘s own prophecy in Luke 1:48 (μακαριουσιν με — makariousin me shall call me happy). [source]
Luke 8:11 The seed is the word of God [ο σπορος εστιν ο λογος του τεου]
The article with both subject and predicate as here means that they are interchangeable and can be turned round: The word of God is the seed. The phrase “the word of God” does not appear in Matthew and only once in Mark (Mark 7:13) and John (John 10:35), but four times in Luke (Luke 5:1; Luke 8:11, Luke 8:21; Luke 11:28) and twelve times in Acts. In Mark 4:14 we have only “the word.” In Mark 3:31 we have “the will of God,” and in Matthew 12:46 “the will of my Father” where Luke 8:21 has “the word of God.” This seems to show that Luke has the subjective genitive here and means the word that comes from God. [source]
John 12:47 If any one [εαν τις]
Third-class condition with εαν — ean and first aorist active subjunctive Purpose clause again (cf. ινα κρινω — hina krinō just before) with ινα — hina and first aorist active of sōzō Exaggerated contrast again, “not so much to judge, but also to save.” See John 3:17 for same contrast. And yet Jesus does judge the world inevitably (John 8:15.; John 9:39), but his primary purpose is to save the world (John 3:16). See close of the Sermon on the Mount for the same insistence on hearing and keeping (obeying) the words of Jesus (Matthew 7:24, Matthew 7:26) and also Luke 11:28. [source]
Galatians 5:3 To do the law [ποιῆσαι]
Rare in N.T. See John 7:19; Romans 2:13, Romans 2:25( πράσσῃς ). Τηρεῖν toobserve the law, the tradition, the commandment, Matthew 19:17; Mark 7:9; John 14:15; Acts 15:5James 2:10: πληροῦν tofulfill the law, Romans 13:8; Galatians 5:14; comp. ἀναπληροῦν Galatians 6:2: φυλάσσειν tokeep or guard the law, Acts 7:53; Acts 21:24; Galatians 6:13: also with commandments, word of God or of Christ, ordinances of the law, Matthew 19:20; Mark 10:20; Luke 11:28; John 12:47; Romans 2:26. Τελεῖν tocarry out the law, Romans 2:27; James 2:8. Ποιῆσαι is to perform what the law commands: τηρεῖν toobserve, keep an eye on with the result of performing: φυλάσσειν toguard against violation: τελεῖν tobring to fulfillment in action. [source]
Jude 1:1 Brother of James []
That Jude does not allude to his relationship to the Lord may be explained by the fact that the natural relationship in his mind would be subordinate to the spiritual (see Luke 11:27, Luke 11:28), and that such a designation would, as Dean Alford remarks, “have been in harmony with those later and superstitious feelings with which the next and following ages regarded the Lord's earthly relatives.” He would shrink from emphasizing a distinction to which none of the other disciples or apostles could have a claim, the more so because of his former unbelief in Christ's authority and mission. It is noticeable that James likewise avoids such a designation. [source]

What do the individual words in Luke 11:28 mean?

He then said No rather blessed [are] those hearing the word - of God and keeping it
Αὐτὸς δὲ εἶπεν Μενοῦν μακάριοι οἱ ἀκούοντες τὸν λόγον τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ φυλάσσοντες

εἶπεν  said 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: λέγω  
Sense: to speak, say.
Μενοῦν  No  rather 
Parse: Particle
Root: μενοῦν 
Sense: nay surely, nay rather.
μακάριοι  blessed  [are] 
Parse: Adjective, Nominative Masculine Plural
Root: μακάριος  
Sense: blessed, happy.
οἱ  those 
Parse: Article, Nominative Masculine Plural
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
ἀκούοντες  hearing 
Parse: Verb, Present Participle Active, Nominative Masculine Plural
Root: ἀκουστός 
Sense: to be endowed with the faculty of hearing, not deaf.
λόγον  word 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Masculine Singular
Root: λόγος  
Sense: of speech.
τοῦ  - 
Parse: Article, Genitive Masculine Singular
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
Θεοῦ  of  God 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Masculine Singular
Root: θεός  
Sense: a god or goddess, a general name of deities or divinities.
φυλάσσοντες  keeping  it 
Parse: Verb, Present Participle Active, Nominative Masculine Plural
Root: φυλάσσω  
Sense: to guard.