Luke 24 · Verse 25

Luke 24:25

Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken:

Luke 24:25, King James Version

Luke 24:25 in other translations

BSB	Then Jesus said to them, “O foolish ones, how slow are your hearts to believe all that the prophets have spoken!
WEB	He said to them, “Foolish people, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken!
ASV	And he said unto them, O foolish men, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken!
YLT	And he said unto them, ‘O inconsiderate and slow in heart, to believe on all that the prophets spake!
DARBY	And he said to them, O senseless and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken!
BBE	And he said, O foolish men! how slow you are to give belief to what the prophets have said.
Webster	Then he said to them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken!

What does Luke 24:25 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Luke 24:25-27

25-27. fools--senseless, without understanding.

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Barnes' Notes

Verse 25. O fools. The word fool sometimes is a term of reproach denoting wickedness. In this sense we are forbidden to employ it in addressing another, Mt 5:22. That, however, is a different word in the Greek from the one which occurs here. The one there used implies contempt, but the one employed in this place denotes weakness or dulness. He reproached them for not seeing what he had himself so clearly predicted, and what had been foretold by the prophets. The word used in the original does not imply as much reproach as the word fool does among us. It was not an expression of contempt; it was an expression denoting merely that they were thoughtless, and that they did not properly attend to the evidence that he must die and rise again.

Slow of heart to believe. Not quick to perceive. Dull of learning. They had suffered their previous opinions and prejudices to prevent their seeing the evidence that he must die and rise from the dead.

All that the prophets have spoken. Respecting the character and sufferings of the Messiah. Lk 24:27.

(r) "O, fools" He 5:11,12

Albert Barnes, 1834 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary

Verse 25 O fools and slow of heart to believe - Inconsiderate men, justly termed such, because they had not properly attended to the description given of the Messiah by the prophets, nor to his teaching and miracles, as proofs that He alone was the person they described. Slow of heart - Backward, not easy to be persuaded of the truth, always giving way to doubtfulness and distrust. This very imperfection in them is a strong evidence of the truth of the doctrine which they afterwards believed, and proclaimed to the world. Had they not had the fullest assurance of these things, they never would have credited them; and it is no small honor to the new-covenant Scriptures that such persons were chosen, first, to believe them; secondly, to proclaim them in the world; and, thirdly, to die on the evidence of those truths, the blessed influence of which they felt in their own hearts, and fully exemplified in their lives.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Luke 24:13-27

This appearance of Jesus to the two disciples going to Emmaus, happened the same day that he rose from the dead. It well becomes the disciples of Christ to talk together of his death and resurrection; thus they may improve one another's knowledge, refresh one another's memory, and stir up each other's devout affections. And where but two together are well employed in work of that kind, he will come to them, and make…

Read the full comment on Luke 24:13-27 →

Luke 24:25 in the original Greek

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

ΚαὶKaiAndG2532

αὐτὸςautosHe himselfG846

εἶπενeipensaidG2036

πρὸςprostoG4314

αὐτούς·autousthem;G846

ὦōOG5599

ἀνόητοιanoētoifoolishG453

καὶkaiandG2532

βραδεῖςbradeisslowG1021

τῇtēa<the>G3588

καρδίᾳkardiaof heartG2588

τοῦtou<the>G3588

πιστεύεινpisteueinto believeG4100

ἐπὶepiinG1909

πᾶσινpasinallG3956

οἷςhoisthatG3739

ἐλάλησανelalēsanspokeG2980

οἱhoitheG3588

προφῆται·prophētaiprophets;G4396

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Luke 24:25

Mark 9:19
He answereth him, and saith, O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him unto me.
Mark 7:18
And he saith unto them, Are ye so without understanding also? Do ye not perceive, that whatsoever thing from without entereth into the man, it cannot defile him;
Hebrews 5:11-12
Of whom we have many things to say, and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are dull of hearing. For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.
Mark 16:14
Afterward he appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen.
Mark 8:17-18
And when Jesus knew it, he saith unto them, Why reason ye, because ye have no bread? perceive ye not yet, neither understand? have ye your heart yet hardened? Having eyes, see ye not? and having ears, hear ye not? and do ye not remember?

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

O fools.Rather, inconsiderate men, [anoetos ,] justly termed such, because they had not attended to the description of the Messiah by the prophets, nor to His teaching and miracles, as proofs that He alone was the person described.
Mr 7:18; 8:17,18; 9:19; 16:14; Heb 5:11,12

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

Luke 24:24
And certain of them which were with us went to the sepulchre, and found it even so as the women had said: but him they saw not.
Luke 24:25
Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken:
Luke 24:26
Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory?

Read all of Luke 24

Luke 24:25 in other languages

Spanish Reina-Valera 1909	Entonces él les dijo: ¡Oh insensatos, y tardos de corazón para creer todo lo que los profetas han dicho!
French Bible J.N. Darby 1885	Et lui leur dit: Ô gens sans intelligence et lents de cœur à croire toutes les choses que les prophètes ont dites!
German Elberfelder 1871	Und er sprach zu ihnen: O ihr Unverständigen und trägen Herzens, zu glauben an alles, was die Propheten geredet haben!
Latin Clementine Vulgate	Et ipse dixit ad eos: O stulti, et tardi corde ad credendum in omnibus quæ locuti sunt prophetæ!