Luke 7 · Verse 29

Luke 7:29

And all the people that heard him, and the publicans, justified God, being baptized with the baptism of John.

Luke 7:29, King James Version

Luke 7:29 in other translations

BSB	All the people who heard this, even the tax collectors, acknowledged God’s justice. For they had received the baptism of John.
WEB	When all the people and the tax collectors heard this, they declared God to be just, having been baptized with John’s baptism.
ASV	And all the people when they heard, and the publicans, justified God, being baptized with the baptism of John.
YLT	And all the people having heard, and the tax-gatherers, declared God righteous, having been baptized with the baptism of John,
DARBY	(And all the people who heard it, and the tax-gatherers, justified God, having been baptised with the baptism of John;
BBE	(And all the people, and the tax-farmers, to whom John had given baptism, when they had knowledge of these things, gave glory to God.
Webster	And all the people that heard him, and the publicans, justified God, being baptized with the baptism of John.

What does Luke 7:29 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Luke 7:29-30

29-30. And all the people that heard--"on hearing (this)." These are the observations of the Evangelist, not of our Lord. and the publicans--a striking clause. justified God, being baptized, &c.--rather, "having been baptized." The meaning is, They acknowledged the divine wisdom of such a preparatory ministry as John's, in leading them to Him who now spake to them (see Lu 1:16, 17); whereas the Pharisees and lawyers, true to themselves in refusing the baptism of John, set at naught also the merciful design of God in the Saviour Himself, to their own destruction.

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

Barnes' Notes

Verse 29. The people. The common people.

That heard him. That heard John.

The publicans. The tax-gatherers, the worst kind of people, who had, however, been converted.

Justified God. Considered God as just or right in the counsel which he gave by John --to wit, in calling men to repentance, and in denouncing future wrath on the impenitent. Comp. Mt 11:19.

Being baptized, &c. They showed that they approved of the message of God by submitting to the ordinance which he commanded--the ordinance of baptism. This verse and the following are not to be considered as the words of Luke, but the continuation of the discourse of our Lord. He is saying what took place in regard to John. Among the common people he was approved and obeyed; among the rich and learned he was despised.

(t) "justified" Ps 51:4, Rom 3:4 (u) "baptized" Mt 3:5,6, Lk 3:12

Albert Barnes, 1834 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary

Verse 29 Justified God - Or, declared God to be just - εδικαιωσαν τον Θεον. The sense is this: John preached that the Divine wrath was coming upon the Jews, from which they might flee by repentance, Luk 3:7. The Jews, therefore, who were baptized by him, with the baptism of repentance, did thereby acknowledge that it is but justice in God to punish them for their wickedness unless they repented, and were baptized in token of it. Bp. Pearce proves that this is the sense in which the word δικαιοω is used here and in Psa 51:4, compared with Job 32:2, and by this evangelist again in Luk 10:29, and Luk 16:15.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Luke 7:19-35

To his miracles in the kingdom of nature, Christ adds this in the kingdom of grace, To the poor the gospel is preached. It clearly pointed out the spiritual nature of Christ's kingdom, that the messenger he sent before him to prepare his way, did it by preaching repentance and reformation of heart and life. We have here the just blame of those who were not wrought upon by the ministry of John Baptist or of Jesus…

Read the full comment on Luke 7:19-35 →

Luke 7:29 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

πᾶςpasallG3956

ὁhotheG3588

λαὸςlaospeopleG2992

ἀκούσαςakousashaving heardG191

καὶkaievenG2532

οἱhoitheG3588

τελῶναιtelōnaitax collectorsG5057

ἐδικαίωσανedikaiōsandeclared as righteousG1344

τὸνton<the>G3588

θεὸνtheonGodG2316

βαπτισθέντεςbaptisthenteshaving been baptized [with]G907

τὸtotheG3588

βάπτισμαbaptismabaptismG908

Ἰωάννου.Iōannouof John.G2491

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

Cross references for Luke 7:29

Luke 3:12
Then came also publicans to be baptized, and said unto him, Master, what shall we do?
Luke 7:35
But wisdom is justified of all her children.
Psalms 51:4
Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.
Matthew 21:31-32
Whether of them twain did the will of his father? They say unto him, The first. Jesus saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you. For John came unto you in the way of righteousness, and ye believed him not: but the publicans and the harlots believed him: and ye, when ye had seen it, repented not afterward, that ye might believe him.
Revelation 16:5
And I heard the angel of the waters say, Thou art righteous, O Lord, which art, and wast, and shalt be, because thou hast judged thus.
Acts 18:25
This man was instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in the spirit, he spake and taught diligently the things of the Lord, knowing only the baptism of John.
Revelation 15:3
And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints.
Romans 10:3
For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.
Acts 19:3
And he said unto them, Unto what then were ye baptized? And they said, Unto John’s baptism.
Matthew 3:5-6
Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judea, and all the region round about Jordan, And were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins.
Romans 3:4-6
God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged. But if our unrighteousness commend the righteousness of God, what shall we say? Is God unrighteous who taketh vengeance? (I speak as a man) God forbid: for then how shall God judge the world?
Judges 1:7
And Adoni–bezek said, Threescore and ten kings, having their thumbs and their great toes cut off, gathered their meat under my table: as I have done, so God hath requited me. And they brought him to Jerusalem, and there he died.

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

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

justified.
35; Jud 1:7; Ps 51:4; Ro 3:4-6; 10:3; Re 15:3; 16:5
being.
3:12; Mt 3:5,6; 21:31,32

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

Context

Luke 7:28
For I say unto you, Among those that are born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist: but he that is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.
Luke 7:29
And all the people that heard him, and the publicans, justified God, being baptized with the baptism of John.
Luke 7:30
But the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the counsel of God against themselves, being not baptized of him.

Read all of Luke 7

Luke 7:29 in other languages

Spanish Reina-Valera 1909	Y todo el pueblo oyéndole, y los publicanos, justificaron á Dios, bautizándose con el bautismo de Juan.
French Bible J.N. Darby 1885	(Et tout le peuple qui entendait cela, et les publicains, justifiaient Dieu, ayant été baptisés du baptême de Jean;
German Elberfelder 1871	Und das ganze Volk, das zuhörte, und die Zöllner rechtfertigten Gott, indem sie mit der Taufe Johannes getauft worden waren;
Latin Clementine Vulgate	Et omnis populus audiens et publicani, justificaverunt Deum, baptizati baptismo Joannis.