The Meaning of Luke 14:8 Explained

Luke 14:8

KJV: When thou art bidden of any man to a wedding, sit not down in the highest room; lest a more honourable man than thou be bidden of him;

YLT: 'When thou mayest be called by any one to marriage-feasts, thou mayest not recline on the first couch, lest a more honourable than thou may have been called by him,

Darby: When thou art invited by any one to a wedding, do not lay thyself down in the first place at table, lest perhaps a more honourable than thou be invited by him,

ASV: When thou art bidden of any man to a marriage feast, sit not down in the chief seat; lest haply a more honorable man than thou be bidden of him,

KJV Reverse Interlinear

When  thou art bidden  of  any  [man] to  a wedding,  sit  not  down  in  the highest room;  lest  a more honourable man  than thou  be  bidden  of  him; 

What does Luke 14:8 Mean?

Context Summary

Luke 14:7-14 - Lessons For Guests And Hosts
The word rooms should be seats, r.v. We must, of course, guard against a false humility, which chooses a low seat in the hope of being invited forward. Let us seek it, because we are absolutely careless of prominence except as it gives us wider opportunity. The unconscious humility and meekness of a little child are very dear to Christ. Dwell on your own defects and on the excellencies of others till you realize that you are the least of all saints! Philippians 3:8.
Our Lord's words about invitations to our houses strike at the root of much of the so-called hospitality of modern society. Did not our Lord intend His words to be interpreted literally? They are imperative in their tone. He probably meant what He said. Some of us get so much thanks down here that there will be very little left to come to us at the resurrection of the just, when we shall stand before the judgment seat of Christ to receive our rewards, 2 Corinthians 5:10. [source]

Chapter Summary: Luke 14

1  Jesus heals the dropsy on the Sabbath;
7  teaches humility;
12  to feast the poor;
15  under the parable of the great supper,
23  shows how worldly minded men shall be shut out of heaven
25  Those who will be his disciples, to bear their cross must make their accounts beforehand,
31  lest with shame they revolt from him afterward;
34  and become altogether unprofitable, like salt that has lost its flavor

Greek Commentary for Luke 14:8

Sit not down [μη κατακλιτηις]
First aorist (ingressive) passive subjunctive of κατακλινω — kataklinō to recline. Old verb, but peculiar to Luke in the N.T. (Luke 7:36; Luke 9:14; Luke 14:8; Luke 24:30). [source]
Be bidden [ηι κεκλημενος]
Periphrastic perfect passive subjunctive of καλεω — kaleō after μη ποτε — mē pote f0). [source]
Wedding []
More properly, marriage-feast. [source]

Reverse Greek Commentary Search for Luke 14:8

Luke 12:36 When he shall return from the marriage feast [ποτε αναλυσηι εκ των γαμων]
The interrogative conjunction ποτε — pote and the deliberative aorist subjunctive retained in the indirect question. The verb αναλυω — analuō very common Greek verb, but only twice in the N.T. (here and Philemon 1:23). The figure is breaking up a camp or loosening the mooring of a ship, to depart. Perhaps here the figure is from the standpoint of the wedding feast (plural as used of a single wedding feast in Luke 14:8), departing from there. See note on Matthew 22:2. [source]
Luke 14:8 Sit not down [μη κατακλιτηις]
First aorist (ingressive) passive subjunctive of κατακλινω — kataklinō to recline. Old verb, but peculiar to Luke in the N.T. (Luke 7:36; Luke 9:14; Luke 14:8; Luke 24:30). [source]
Luke 14:10 Sit down [αναπεσε]
Second aorist active imperative of αναπιπτω — anapiptō to fall up or back, to lie back or down. Late Greek word for ανακλινω — anaklinō (cf. κατακλινω — kataklinō in Luke 14:8). [source]
Luke 7:2 Dear to him [αρχης]
Held in honour, prized, precious, dear (Luke 14:8; 1 Peter 2:4; Philemon 2:29), common Greek word. Even though a slave he was dear to him.Was sick (αυτωι εντιμος — kakōs echōn). Having it bad. Common idiom. See note on Matthew 4:24; Matthew 8:16; Mark 2:17; Luke 5:31, etc. Matthew 8:6 notes that the slave was a paralytic.And at the point of death Imperfect active of ημελλεν τελευταιν — mellō (note double augment μελλω — ē) which is used either with the present infinitive as here, the aorist (Revelation 3:16), or even the future because of the future idea in η — mellō (Acts 11:28; Acts 24:15). He was about to die. [source]

What do the individual words in Luke 14:8 mean?

When you are invited by anyone to wedding feasts not do recline in the first place lest ever [one] more honorable than you might have been invited by him
Ὅταν κληθῇς ὑπό τινος εἰς γάμους μὴ κατακλιθῇς εἰς τὴν πρωτοκλισίαν μή‿ ποτε ἐντιμότερός σου κεκλημένος ὑπ’ αὐτοῦ

κληθῇς  you  are  invited 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Subjunctive Passive, 2nd Person Singular
Root: καλέω  
Sense: to call.
τινος  anyone 
Parse: Interrogative / Indefinite Pronoun, Genitive Masculine Singular
Root: τὶς  
Sense: a certain, a certain one.
γάμους  wedding  feasts 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Masculine Plural
Root: γάμος  
Sense: a wedding or marriage festival, a wedding banquet, a wedding feast.
κατακλιθῇς  do  recline 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Subjunctive Passive, 2nd Person Singular
Root: κατακλίνω  
Sense: in the NT in reference to eating, to make to recline.
πρωτοκλισίαν  first  place 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Feminine Singular
Root: πρωτοκλισία  
Sense: the first reclining place, the chief place at table.
μή‿  lest 
Parse: Adverb
Root: μή 
Sense: no, not lest.
ποτε  ever 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: πότε  
Sense: when?, at what time?.
ἐντιμότερός  [one]  more  honorable 
Parse: Adjective, Nominative Masculine Singular, Comparative
Root: ἔντιμος  
Sense: held in honour, prized, precious.
σου  than  you 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Genitive 2nd Person Singular
Root: σύ  
Sense: you.
  might  have  been 
Parse: Verb, Present Subjunctive Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: εἰμί  
Sense: to be, to exist, to happen, to be present.
κεκλημένος  invited 
Parse: Verb, Perfect Participle Middle or Passive, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: καλέω  
Sense: to call.

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