Lectionary Calendar
Wednesday, July 23rd, 2025
the Week of Proper 11 / Ordinary 16
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Read the Bible

World English Bible

Luke 20:2

They asked him, "Tell us: by what authority do you do these things? Or who is giving you this authority?"

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Instruction;   Thompson Chain Reference - Divinity;  

Dictionaries:

- Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Heal, Health;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Consciousness;   Perplexity;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Chief parables and miracles in the bible;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Authority in Religion;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
and said to him: “Tell us, by what authority are you doing these things? Who is it who gave you this authority?”
King James Version (1611)
And spake vnto him, saying, Tell vs, by what authoritie doest thou these things? or who is hee that gaue thee this authoritie?
King James Version
And spake unto him, saying, Tell us, by what authority doest thou these things? or who is he that gave thee this authority?
English Standard Version
and said to him, "Tell us by what authority you do these things, or who it is that gave you this authority."
New American Standard Bible
and they declared, saying to Him, "Tell us by what authority You are doing these things, or who is the one who gave You this authority?"
New Century Version
saying, "Tell us what authority you have to do these things? Who gave you this authority?"
Amplified Bible
and said to Him, "Tell us by what kind of authority You are doing these things? Or who is the one who gave You this authority?"
New American Standard Bible (1995)
and they spoke, saying to Him, "Tell us by what authority You are doing these things, or who is the one who gave You this authority?"
Legacy Standard Bible
and they spoke, saying to Him, "Tell us by what authority You are doing these things, or who is the one who gave You this authority?"
Berean Standard Bible
"Tell us," they said, "by what authority are You doing these things, and who gave You this authority?"
Contemporary English Version
asked him, "What right do you have to do these things? Who gave you this authority?"
Complete Jewish Bible
and said, "Tell us, what s'mikhah do you have that authorizes you to do these things? Who gave you this s'mikhah?"
Darby Translation
and spoke to him saying, Tell us by what authority thou doest these things, or who is it who has given thee this authority?
Easy-to-Read Version
They said, "Tell us what authority you have to do these things. Who gave you this authority?"
Geneva Bible (1587)
And spake vnto him, saying, Tell vs by what authoritie thou doest these things, or who is hee that hath giuen thee this authoritie?
George Lamsa Translation
And they said to him, Tell us by what authority you do these things, and who gave you this authority?
Good News Translation
and said to him, "Tell us, what right do you have to do these things? Who gave you such right?"
Lexham English Bible
and said, saying to him, "Tell us, by what authority you are doing these things, or who is the one who gave you this authority?
Literal Translation
and spoke to Him, saying, Tell us by what authority you do these things, or who is it who gave to you this authority?
American Standard Version
and they spake, saying unto him, Tell us: By what authority doest thou these things? or who is he that gave thee this authority?
Bible in Basic English
That the chief priests and the scribes and the rulers of the people came to him and said, Make clear to us by what authority you do these things and who gave you this authority.
Hebrew Names Version
They asked him, "Tell us: by what authority do you do these things? Or who is giving you this authority?"
International Standard Version
and asked him, "Tell us: By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?"Acts 4:7; 7:27;">[xr]
Etheridge Translation
and said to him, Tell us by what authority thou doest these, and who is he who gave thee this authority ?
Murdock Translation
and said to him: Tell us, by what authority thou doest these things? And who is it, that gave thee this authority?
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And spake vnto him, saying: Tell vs by what aucthoritie doest thou these thynges? Eyther who is he that gaue thee this aucthoritie?
English Revised Version
and they spake, saying unto him, Tell us: By what authority doest thou these things? or who is he that gave thee this authority?
Wesley's New Testament (1755)
And spake to him saying, Tell us, by what authority dost thou these things, and who is he that gave thee this authority?
Weymouth's New Testament
together with the Elders, and they asked Him, "Tell us, By what authority are you doing these things? And who is it that gave you this authority?"
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
and thei seiden to hym, Seie to vs, in what power thou doist these thingis, or who is he that yaf to thee this power?
Update Bible Version
and they spoke, saying to him, Tell us: By what authority do you do these things? or who is he that gave you this authority?
Webster's Bible Translation
And spoke to him, saying, Tell us, By what authority doest thou these things? or who is he that gave thee this authority?
New English Translation
and said to him, "Tell us: By what authority are you doing these things? Or who is it who gave you this authority?"
New King James Version
and spoke to Him, saying, "Tell us, by what authority are You doing these things? Or who is he who gave You this authority?"
New Living Translation
They demanded, "By what authority are you doing all these things? Who gave you the right?"
New Life Bible
They said to Him, "Tell us, by what right and power are You doing these things? Who gave You the right and the power?"
New Revised Standard
and said to him, "Tell us, by what authority are you doing these things? Who is it who gave you this authority?"
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
and spake, saying, unto him - Tell us, by what authority, these things, thou art doing, and, who, is it, that gave thee this authority.
Douay-Rheims Bible
And spoke to him, saying: Tell us, by what authority dost thou these things? Or, who is he that hath given thee this authority?
Revised Standard Version
and said to him, "Tell us by what authority you do these things, or who it is that gave you this authority."
Tyndale New Testament (1525)
and spake vnto him sayinge. Tell vs by what auctorite thou doest these thinges? Ether who is he yt gave ye this auctorite?
Young's Literal Translation
and spake unto him, saying, `Tell us by what authority thou dost these things? or who is he that gave to thee this authority?'
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
and spake vnto him, and sayde: Tell vs, by what auctorite doest thou these thinges? Or who gaue the this auctorite?
Mace New Testament (1729)
and thus accosted him, tell us by what authority do you act thus? and whence do you derive that authority?
Simplified Cowboy Version
"Who said you could teach in here?"

Contextual Overview

1 It happened on one of those days, as he was teaching the people in the temple and preaching the gospel, that the chief priests and scribes came to him with the elders. 2 They asked him, "Tell us: by what authority do you do these things? Or who is giving you this authority?" 3 He answered them, "I also will ask you one question. Tell me: 4 the baptism of John, was it from heaven, or from men?" 5 They reasoned with themselves, saying, "If we say, 'From heaven,' he will say, 'Why didn't you believe him?' 6 But if we say, 'From men,' all the people will stone us, for they are persuaded that John was a prophet." 7 They answered that they didn't know where it was from. 8 Jesus said to them, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things."

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Tell: Luke 19:35-40, Luke 19:45, Luke 19:46, Matthew 21:23-27, Mark 11:28-33

who: Exodus 2:14, John 2:18, John 5:22-27, Acts 4:7-10, Acts 7:27, Acts 7:35-39, Acts 7:51

Reciprocal: Jeremiah 32:3 - Wherefore Matthew 21:10 - Who Mark 14:49 - was

Cross-References

Genesis 12:15
The princes of Pharaoh saw her, and praised her to Pharaoh; and the woman was taken into Pharaoh's house.
Genesis 20:11
Abraham said, "Because I thought, 'Surely the fear of God is not in this place. They will kill me for my wife's sake.'
Genesis 20:12
Moreover she is indeed my sister, the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother; and she became my wife.
Genesis 20:13
It happened, when God caused me to wander from my father's house, that I said to her, 'This is your kindness which you shall show to me. Everywhere that we go, say of me, "He is my brother."'"
Genesis 26:1
There was a famine in the land, besides the first famine that was in the days of Abraham. Isaac went to Abimelech king of the Philistines, to Gerar.
Genesis 26:7
The men of the place asked him about his wife. He said, "She is my sister," for he was afraid to say, "My wife," lest, he thought, the men of the place might kill me for Rebekah, because she was beautiful to look on.
Genesis 26:16
Abimelech said to Isaac, "Go from us, for you are much mightier than we."
2 Chronicles 19:2
Jehu the son of Hanani the seer went out to meet him, and said to king Jehoshaphat, Should you help the wicked, and love those who hate Yahweh? for this thing wrath is on you from before Yahweh.
2 Chronicles 20:37
Then Eliezer the son of Dodavahu of Mareshah prophesied against Jehoshaphat, saying, Because you have joined yourself with Ahaziah, Yahweh has destroyed your works. The ships were broken, so that they were not able to go to Tarshish.
2 Chronicles 32:31
However in [the business of] the ambassadors of the princes of Babylon, who sent to him to inquire of the wonder that was done in the land, God left him, to try him, that he might know all that was in his heart.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And spoke unto him, saying, tell us by what authority doest thou these things?.... The Arabic and Ethiopic versions read, "this thing"; as if the sanhedrim only referred to his preaching the Gospel, which is mentioned in the preceding verse, and was what he was about when they came to him: but the Persic version reads, "all these things"; not only preaching, but working miracles; and particularly driving the buyers and sellers out of the temple, which especially affected them, they losing their rents thereby:

or who is he that gave thee this authority? God or man?

:-.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

See this passage explained in the notes at Matthew 21:23-27.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Luke 20:2. By what authority, &c.] See Clarke's notes on Matthew 21:23-27.


 
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