Luke 7:24

When ¹  John’s messengers had gone, Jesus ²  began to speak to the crowds about John: “What did you go out into the wilderness ³  to see? A reed shaken by the wind? ⁴ 

Ge 49:4; Mt 3:1-5; Mt 11:7,8; Mr 1:4,5; Lu 1:80; Lu 3:2; Joh 1:23; 2Co 1:17-20; Eph 4:14; Jas 1:6-8; 2Pe 2:17; 2Pe 3:17

¹ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

² tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

³ tn Or “desert.”

⁴ tn There is a debate as to whether one should read this figuratively (“to see someone who is easily blown over?”) or literally (Grk “to see the wilderness vegetation?…No, to see a prophet”). Either view makes good sense, but the following examples suggest the question should be read literally and understood to point to the fact that a prophet drew them to the desert.