The Meaning of Luke 20:26 Explained

Luke 20:26

KJV: And they could not take hold of his words before the people: and they marvelled at his answer, and held their peace.

YLT: and they were not able to take hold on his saying before the people, and having wondered at his answer, they were silent.

Darby: And they were not able to take hold of him in his expressions before the people, and, wondering at his answer, they were silent.

ASV: And they were not able to take hold of the saying before the people: and they marvelled at his answer, and held their peace.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And  they could  not  take hold  of his  words  before  the people:  and  they marvelled  at  his  answer,  and held their peace. 

What does Luke 20:26 Mean?

Verse Meaning

Jesus" answer in Luke 20:25 has become so commonplace to us that we fail to appreciate the impact it must have had on those who heard it for the first time. Jesus" critics could not criticize either His logic or His statement. Wisely they kept quiet (cf. Luke 14:6; Luke 20:40), a fact that only Luke noted. Luke also drew attention to their failure to "catch" (NIV "trap," Gr. epilambanomai) Jesus, which he earlier identified as their purpose ( Luke 20:20).
This teaching would have been helpful to Luke"s original readers who, as all Christians do, had responsibilities to pagan political authorities as well as to God.

Context Summary

Luke 20:19-26 - Tribute To Caesar And To God
Fearing to touch Him themselves, and finding no foothold against Him according to the Mosaic law, His enemies sought to bring Christ into collision with the civil power. To do this, no hypocrisy was too mean.
So poor was our Lord that He must needs ask them to furnish the penny or drachma. Caesar has a certain claim on us. He has earned certain rights of homage and tribute by preserving the good order of society and the safety of our persons; but there his authority ends. When he intrudes into the realm of conscience, he is a usurper. In that kingdom he has no claims whatever.
We must give Caesar his dues. They can be paid in the coin of earth's mintage; but he has no claim on our conscience, faith, love. These bear the mint-mark of God, and to God they must be rendered. Ah, soul! Thou belongest to the great King; thou art stamped with His image and superscription! Give Him thyself! [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 20:26

They were not able [ουκ ισχυσαν]
They did not have strength. An old verb ισχυω — ischuō from ισχυς — ischus (strength). They failed “to take hold (cf. Luke 20:20) of the saying before the people.” These “crack” students had made an ignominious failure and were not able to make a case for the surrender of Jesus to Pilate. He had slipped through their net with the utmost ease. [source]
Held their peace [εσιγησαν]
Ingressive aorist active of σιγαω — sigaō They became silent as they went back with the “dry grins.” [source]
His words [ῥήματος]
Singular number. Rev., properly, saying. See on sa40" translation="">Luke 1:37.sa40 [source]

Reverse Greek Commentary Search for Luke 20:26

John 19:9 Whence art thou? [ποτεν ει συ]
Pilate knew that Jesus was from Galilee (Luke 23:6.). He is really alarmed. See a like question by the Jews in John 8:25. Gave him no answer See same idiom in John 1:22. Αποκρισις — Apokrisis (old word from αποκρινομαι — apokrinomai) occurs also in Luke 2:47; Luke 20:26. The silence of Jesus, like that before Caiaphas (Mark 14:61; Matthew 26:63) and Herod (Luke 23:9), irritates the dignity of Pilate in spite of his fears. [source]

What do the individual words in Luke 20:26 mean?

And not they were able to catch Him in His word before the people having marveled at the answer of Him they became silent
Καὶ οὐκ ἴσχυσαν ἐπιλαβέσθαι αὐτοῦ ῥήματος ἐναντίον τοῦ λαοῦ θαυμάσαντες ἐπὶ τῇ ἀποκρίσει αὐτοῦ ἐσίγησαν

ἴσχυσαν  they  were  able 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Active, 3rd Person Plural
Root: ἰσχύω  
Sense: to be strong.
ἐπιλαβέσθαι  to  catch  Him  in 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Infinitive Middle
Root: ἐπιλαμβάνομαι  
Sense: to take in addition, to lay hold of, take possession of, overtake, attain, attain to.
αὐτοῦ  His 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Genitive Masculine 3rd Person Singular
Root: αὐτός  
Sense: himself, herself, themselves, itself.
ῥήματος  word 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Neuter Singular
Root: ῥῆμα  
Sense: that which is or has been uttered by the living voice, thing spoken, word.
ἐναντίον  before 
Parse: Preposition
Root: ἐναντίον  
Sense: over against, opposite.
λαοῦ  people 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Masculine Singular
Root: λαός  
Sense: a people, people group, tribe, nation, all those who are of the same stock and language.
θαυμάσαντες  having  marveled 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Participle Active, Nominative Masculine Plural
Root: ἐκθαυμάζω 
Sense: to wonder, wonder at, marvel.
ἐπὶ  at 
Parse: Preposition
Root: ἐπί  
Sense: upon, on, at, by, before.
ἀποκρίσει  answer 
Parse: Noun, Dative Feminine Singular
Root: ἀπόκρισις  
Sense: a replying, an answer.
αὐτοῦ  of  Him 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Genitive Masculine 3rd Person Singular
Root: αὐτός  
Sense: himself, herself, themselves, itself.
ἐσίγησαν  they  became  silent 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Active, 3rd Person Plural
Root: σιγάω  
Sense: to keep silence, hold one’s peace.