Luke 21:18

Literal Standard Version

and a hair out of your head will not perish;

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
but not a hair of your head will be lost.

King James Version (1611)
But there shall not a haire of your head perish.

King James Version
But there shall not an hair of your head perish.

English Standard Version
But not a hair of your head will perish.

New American Standard Bible
"And yet not a hair of your head will perish.

New Century Version
But none of these things can really harm you.

Amplified Bible
"But not a hair of your head will perish.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
"Yet not a hair of your head will perish.

Legacy Standard Bible
Yet not a hair of your head will perish.

Berean Standard Bible
Yet not even a hair of your head will perish.

Contemporary English Version
But don't worry!

Complete Jewish Bible
But not a hair of your head will be lost.

Darby Translation
And a hair of your head shall in no wise perish.

Easy-to-Read Version
But none of these things can really harm you.

Geneva Bible (1587)
Yet there shall not one heare of your heads perish.

George Lamsa Translation
And yet not a hair of your head will be lost.

Good News Translation
But not a single hair from your heads will be lost.

Lexham English Bible
Even a hair of your head will never perish!

Literal Translation
And a hair of your head shall in no way perish.

American Standard Version
And not a hair of your head shall perish.

Bible in Basic English
But not a hair of your head will come to destruction.

Hebrew Names Version
Not a hair of your head will perish.

International Standard Version
And yet not a hair on your head will be lost.Matthew 10:30;">[xr]

Etheridge Translation
yet a hair of your head shall not perish,

Murdock Translation
But a hair of your head shall not perish.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And there shall not one heere of your head peryshe.

English Revised Version
And not a hair of your head shall perish.

World English Bible
Not a hair of your head will perish.

Weymouth's New Testament
and yet not a hair of your heads shall perish.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And an heere of youre heed schal not perische;

Update Bible Version
And not a hair of your head shall perish.

Webster's Bible Translation
But there shall not a hair of your head perish.

New English Translation
Yet not a hair of your head will perish.

New King James Version
But not a hair of your head shall be lost.

New Living Translation
But not a hair of your head will perish!

New Life Bible
Yet not one hair of your head will be lost.

New Revised Standard
But not a hair of your head will perish.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And, a hair of your head, in nowise shall perish, -

Douay-Rheims Bible
But a hair of your head shall not perish.

Revised Standard Version
But not a hair of your head will perish.

Tyndale New Testament (1525)
Yet ther shall not one heer of youre heedes perisshe.

Young's Literal Translation
and a hair out of your head shall not perish;

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
and yet shal not one hayre of youre heade perishe.

Mace New Testament (1729)
however a single hair of your head shall not be lost.

Simplified Cowboy Version
But I will not allow a single hair on your head to perish.

Contextual Overview

⁵And [as] some were speaking about the temple, that it has been adorned with good stones and devoted things, He said, ⁶"These things that you behold—days will come in which there will not be left a stone on a stone that will not be thrown down." ⁷And they questioned Him, saying, "Teacher, when, then, will these things be? And what [is] the sign when these things may be about to happen?" ⁸And He said, "See—you may not be led astray, for many will come in My Name, saying, I am [He], and the time has come near; do not then go on after them; ⁹and when you may hear of wars and uprisings, do not be terrified, for it is necessary for these things to happen first, but the end [is] not immediately." ¹⁰Then He said to them, "Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, ¹¹also great shakings, and there will be famines and pestilences in every place; also there will be fearful things and great signs from the sky; ¹²and before all these, they will lay on you their hands, and persecute, delivering up to synagogues and prisons, being brought before kings and governors for My Name's sake; ¹³and it will become to you for a testimony. ¹⁴Settle, then, to your hearts, not to meditate beforehand to reply,

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Luke 12:7, 1 Samuel 14:45, 1 Samuel 25:29, 2 Samuel 14:11, Matthew 10:30, Acts 27:34

Reciprocal: 1 Kings 1:52 - there shall Proverbs 3:25 - neither Daniel 3:27 - nor was Luke 10:19 - and nothing Luke 21:9 - when Acts 18:10 - and no

Cross-References

Genesis 16:10
and the Messenger of YHWH says to her, "Multiplying I multiply your seed, and it is not numbered from multitude";

Genesis 17:20
As for Ishmael, I have heard you; behold, I have blessed him, and made him fruitful, and multiplied him, very exceedingly; twelve princes does he beget, and I have made him become a great nation;

Genesis 21:12
and God says to Abraham, "Let it not be wrong in your eyes because of the youth, and because of your handmaid: all that Sarah says to you—listen to her voice, for in Isaac is a seed called to you.

Genesis 21:13
As for the son of the handmaid also, for a nation I set him, because he [is] your seed."

Genesis 21:18
rise, lift up the youth, and lay hold on him with your hand, for I set him for a great nation."

Genesis 21:29
And Abimelech says to Abraham, "What [are] they—these seven lambs which you have set by themselves?"

Genesis 21:31
therefore he has called that place "Beer-Sheba," for both of them have sworn there.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

But there shall not art hair of your head perish. That is, without the will of God, as in Matthew 10:29 or not one shall perish, but what shall be restored again: or the sense is, that though they should be betrayed by their friends, and hated, and persecuted, and imprisoned by their enemies, yet they should be no losers in the main; all things should work together for their good; and though even they should be put to death, yet that would be to their advantage, since instead of a temporal, troublesome life, they should enjoy an eternal and happy one: for this cannot be understood of entire preservation from all corporeal damages and hurt; seeing it is, before declared, that they should be put into prisons, and some of them put to death; nor of their preservation at the destruction of Jerusalem, for none of them was living at that time, but the Apostle John, and he was not in those parts.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The account of the destruction of Jerusalem contained in this chapter has been fully considered in the notes at Matthew 24:0. All that will be necessary here will be an explanation of a few words that did not occur in that chapter.

Luke 21:9

Commotions - Insurrections. Subjects rising against their rulers.

Luke 21:11

Fearful sights - See Matthew 24:7.

Luke 21:12, Luke 21:13

Synagogues, and into prisons - See the notes at Mark 13:9-10.

Luke 21:14

Settle it, therefore, in your hearts - Fix it firmly in your minds - so firmly as to become a settled principle - that you are always to depend on God for aid in all your trials. See Mark 13:11.

Luke 21:15

A mouth - Eloquence, ability to speak as the case may demand. Compare Exodus 4:11.

Gainsay - Speak against. They will not be able to “reply” to it, or to “resist” the force of what you shall say.

Luke 21:18

A hair of your head perish - This is a proverbial expression, denoting that they should not suffer any essential injury. This was strikingly fulfilled in the fact that in the calamities of Jerusalem there is reason to believe that no Christian suffered. Before those calamities came on the city they had fled to “Pella,” a city on the east of the Jordan. See the notes at Matthew 24:18.

Luke 21:19

In your patience - Rather by your perseverance. The word “patience” here means constancy or perseverance in sustaining afflictions.

Possess ye your souls - Some read here the “future” instead of the “present” of the verb rendered “possess.” The word “possess” means here to “preserve” or keep, and the word “souls” means “lives.” This passage may be thus translated: By persevering in bearing these trials you “will” save your lives, or you will be safe; or, by persevering “preserve” your lives; that is, do not yield to these calamities, but bear up under them, for he that endureth to the end, the same shall be saved. Compare Matthew 24:13.

Luke 21:22

All things which are written may be fulfilled - Judgment had been threatened by almost all the prophets against that wicked city. They had spoken of its crimes and threatened its ruin. Once God had destroyed Jerusalem and carried the people to Babylon; but their crimes had been repeated when they returned, and God had again threatened their ruin. Particularly was this very destruction foretold by Daniel, Daniel 9:26-27; “And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself; and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.” See the notes at that passage.

Luke 21:24

Shall fall ... - No less than one million one hundred thousand perished in the siege of Jerusalem.

Shall be led away captive - More than 90,000 were led into captivity. See the notes at Matthew 24:0.

Shall be trodden down by the Gentiles - Shall be in possession of the Gentiles, or be subject to them. The expression also implies that it would be an “oppressive” subjection, as when a captive in war is trodden down under the feet of the conqueror. Anciently conquerors “trod on” the necks of those who were subdued by them, Jos 10:24; 2 Samuel 22:41; Ezekiel 21:29. The bondage of Jerusalem has been long and very oppressive. It was for a long time under the dominion of the Romans, then of the Saracens, and is now of the Turks, and is aptly represented by a captive stretched on the ground whose neck is “trodden” by the foot of the conqueror.

Until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled - This passage has been understood very differently by different expositors. Some refer it to the time which the Romans who conquered it had dominion over it, as signifying that “they” should keep possession of it until a part of the pagans should be converged, when it should be rebuilt. Thus it was rebuilt by the Emperor Adrian. Others suppose that it refers to the end of the world, when all the Gentiles shall be converted, and they shall “cease” to be Gentiles by becoming Christians, meaning that it should “always” be desolate. Others, that Christ meant to say that in the times of the millennium, when the gospel should spread universally, he would reign personally on the earth, and that the “Jews” would return and rebuild Jerusalem and the temple. This is the opinion of the Jews and of many Christians. The meaning of the passage clearly is,

1. That Jerusalem would be completely destroyed.
2. That this would be done by Gentiles - that is, by the Roman armies.
3. That this desolation would continue as long as God should judge it proper in a fit manner to express his abhorrence of the crimes of the nation - that is, until the times allotted to “them” by God for this desolation should be accomplished, without specifying how long that would be, or what would occur to the city after that.

It “may” be rebuilt, and inhabited by converted Jews. Such a thing is “possible,” and the Jews naturally seek that as their home; but whether this be so or not, the time when the “Gentiles,” as such, shall have dominion over the city is limited. Like all other cities on the earth, it will yet be brought under the influence of the gospel, and will be inhabited by the true friends of God. Pagan, infidel, anti-Christian dominion shall cease there, and it will be again a place where God will be worshipped in sincerity - a place “even then” of special interest from the recollection of the events which have occurred there. “How long” it is to be before this occurs is known only to Him “who hath put the times and seasons in his own power,” Acts 1:7.

Luke 21:25

See the notes at Matthew 24:29.

Upon the earth distress of nations - Some have proposed to render the word “earth” by “land,” confining it to Judea. It often has this meaning, and there seems some propriety in so using it here. The word translated “distress” denotes anxiety of mind - such an anxiety as people have when they do not know what to do to free themselves from calamities; and it means here that the calamities would be so great and overwhelming that they would not know what to do to escape. There would be a want of counsel, and deep anxiety at the impending evils.

With perplexity - Rather “on account” of their perplexity, or the desperate state of their affairs. The Syriac has it, “perplexity or wringing of hands,” which is a sign of deep distress and horror.

The sea and the waves roaring - This is not to be understood literally, but as an image of great distress. Probably it is designed to denote that these calamities would come upon them like a deluge. As when in a storm the ocean roars, and wave rolls on wave and dashes against the shore, and each succeeding surge is more violent than the one that preceded it, so would the calamities come upon Judea. They would roll over the whole land, and each wave of trouble would be more violent than the one that preceded it, until the whole country would be desolate. The same image is also used in Isaiah 8:7-8, and Revelation 18:15.

Luke 21:26

Men’s hearts failing them - This is an expression denoting the highest terror. The word rendered “failing” commonly denotes to “die,” and here it means that the terror would be so great that people would faint and be ready to die in view of the approaching calamities. And if this was true in respect to the judgments about to come upon Judea, how much more so will it be in the day of judgment, when the wicked will be arraigned before the Son of God, and when they shall have before them the prospect of the awful sufferings of hell - the pains and woes which shall continue forever! It will be no wonder, then, if they call on the rocks and mountains to hide them from the face of God, and if their hearts sink within them at the prospect of eternal suffering.

Luke 21:28

Your redemption draweth nigh - See the notes at Matthew 24:33. This is expressed in Luke 21:31 thus: “the kingdom of God is nigh at hand” - that is, from that time God will signally build up his kingdom. It shall be fully established when the Jewish policy shall come to an end; when the temple shall be destroyed, and the Jews scattered abroad. Then the power of the Jews shall be at an end; they shall no longer be able to persecute you, and you shall be completely delivered from all these trials and calamities in Judea.

Luke 21:34

Lest at any time your hearts be overcharged ... - The meaning of this verse is, “Be continually expecting these things. Do not forget them, and do not be “secure” and satisfied with this life and the good things which it furnishes. Do not suffer yourselves to be drawn into the fashions of the world; to be conformed to its customs; to partake of its feasts and revelry; and so these calamities shall come upon you when you least expect them.” And from this we may learn - what alas! we may from the “lives” of many professing Christians - that there is need of cautioning the disciples of Jesus now that they do not indulge in the festivities of this life, and “forget” that they are to die and come to judgment. How many, alas! who bear the Christian name, have forgotten this caution of the Saviour, and live as if their lives were secure; as if they feared not death; as if there were no heaven and no judgment! Christians should feel that they are soon to die, and that their portion is not in this life; and, feeling this, they should be “looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God.”

Overcharged - Literally, “be made heavy,” as is the case with those who have eaten and drunken too much.

Surfeiting - Excessive eating and drinking, so as to oppress the body; indulgence in the pleasures of the table. This word does not include “intoxication,” but merely indulgence in food and drink, though the food and drink should be in themselves lawful.

Drunkenness - Intoxication, intemperance in drinking. The ancients were not acquainted with the poison that we chiefly use on which to become drunk. They had no distilled spirits. They became intoxicated on wine, and strong drink made of a mixture of dates, honey, etc. All nations have contrived some way to become intoxicated - to bring in folly, and disease, and poverty, and death, by drunkenness; and in nothing is the depravity of men more manifest than in thus endeavoring to hasten the ravages of crime and death.

Luke 21:35

As a snare - In Matthew and Mark Jesus compares the suddenness with which these calamities would come to the deluge coming in the days of Noah. Here he likens it to a snare. Birds are caught by a snare or net. It is sprung on them quickly, and when they are not expecting it. So, says he, shall these troubles come upon Judea. The figure is often used to denote the suddenness of calamities, Psalms 69:22; Romans 11:9; Psalms 124:7; Isaiah 24:17.

Luke 21:36

To stand before the Son of man - These approaching calamities are represented as the “coming of the Son of man” to judge Jerusalem for its crimes. Its inhabitants were so wicked that they were not worthy to stand before him and would be condemned, and the city would be overthrown. To “stand before him” here denotes approbation, acquittal, favor, and is equivalent to saying that “they” would be free from these calamities, while they should come upon others. See Romans 14:4; Psalms 1:5; Psalms 130:3; Revelation 6:17. Perhaps, also, there is a reference here to the day of judgment. See the notes at Matthew 24:0.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Luke 21:18. But there shall not a hair of your head perish. — A proverbial expression for, Ye shall not suffer any essential injury. Every genuine Christian shall escape when this desolation comes upon the Jewish state.