Luke 17:1
New International Version
Jesus said to his disciples: “Things that cause people to stumble are bound to come, but woe to anyone through whom they come.

New Living Translation
One day Jesus said to his disciples, “There will always be temptations to sin, but what sorrow awaits the person who does the tempting!

English Standard Version
And he said to his disciples, “Temptations to sin are sure to come, but woe to the one through whom they come!

Berean Standard Bible
Jesus said to His disciples, “It is inevitable that stumbling blocks will come, but woe to the one through whom they come!

Berean Literal Bible
And He said to His disciples, "It is impossible for the stumbling blocks not to come, but woe to him by whom they come!

King James Bible
Then said he unto the disciples, It is impossible but that offences will come: but woe unto him, through whom they come!

New King James Version
Then He said to the disciples, “It is impossible that no offenses should come, but woe to him through whom they do come!

New American Standard Bible
Now He said to His disciples, “It is inevitable that stumbling blocks come, but woe to one through whom they come!

NASB 1995
He said to His disciples, “It is inevitable that stumbling blocks come, but woe to him through whom they come!

NASB 1977
And He said to His disciples, “It is inevitable that stumbling blocks should come, but woe to him through whom they come!

Legacy Standard Bible
Now He said to His disciples, “It is inevitable that stumbling blocks come, but woe to him through whom they come!

Amplified Bible
Jesus said to His disciples, “Stumbling blocks [temptations and traps set to lure one to sin] are sure to come, but woe (judgment is coming) to him through whom they come!

Christian Standard Bible
He said to his disciples, “Offenses will certainly come, but woe to the one through whom they come!

Holman Christian Standard Bible
He said to His disciples, “Offenses will certainly come, but woe to the one they come through!

American Standard Version
And he said unto his disciples, It is impossible but that occasions of stumbling should come; but woe unto him, through whom they come!

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
And Yeshua said to his disciples, “It is not possible that offenses shall not come, but woe to him by whose hand they shall come.”

Contemporary English Version
Jesus said to his disciples: There will always be something that causes people to sin. But anyone who causes them to sin is in for trouble. A person who causes even one of my little followers to sin

Douay-Rheims Bible
AND he said to his disciples: It is impossible that scandals should not come: but woe to him through whom they come.

English Revised Version
And he said unto his disciples, It is impossible but that occasions of stumbling should come: but woe unto him, through whom they come!

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Jesus told his disciples, "Situations that cause people to lose their faith are certain to arise. But how horrible it will be for the person who causes someone to lose his faith!

Good News Translation
Jesus said to his disciples, "Things that make people fall into sin are bound to happen, but how terrible for the one who makes them happen!

International Standard Version
Jesus told his disciples, "It is inevitable that temptations to sin will come, but how terrible it will be for the person through whom they come!

Literal Standard Version
And He said to the disciples, “It is impossible for the stumbling blocks not to come, but woe [to him] through whom they come;

Majority Standard Bible
Jesus said to His disciples, “It is inevitable that stumbling blocks will come, but woe to the one through whom they come!

New American Bible
He said to his disciples, “Things that cause sin will inevitably occur, but woe to the person through whom they occur.

NET Bible
Jesus said to his disciples, "Stumbling blocks are sure to come, but woe to the one through whom they come!

New Revised Standard Version
Jesus said to his disciples, “Occasions for stumbling are bound to come, but woe to anyone by whom they come!

New Heart English Bible
He said to the disciples, "It is impossible that no occasions of stumbling should come, but woe to him through whom they come.

Webster's Bible Translation
Then he said to the disciples, It is impossible but that causes of sin will come: but woe to him by whom they come!

Weymouth New Testament
Jesus said to His disciples, "It is inevitable that causes of stumbling should come; but alas for him through whom they come!

World English Bible
He said to the disciples, “It is impossible that no occasions of stumbling should come, but woe to him through whom they come!

Young's Literal Translation
And he said unto the disciples, 'It is impossible for the stumbling blocks not to come, but woe to him through whom they come;

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Temptations and Trespasses
1 Jesus said to His disciples, “It is inevitable that stumbling blocks will come, but woe to the one through whom they come! 2It would be better for him to have a millstone hung around his neck and to be thrown into the sea than to cause one of these little ones to stumble.…

Cross References
Matthew 18:7
Woe to the world for the causes of sin. These stumbling blocks must come, but woe to the man through whom they come!

Luke 16:31
Then Abraham said to him, 'If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead.'"

1 Corinthians 11:19
And indeed, there must be differences among you to show which of you are approved.

1 Timothy 4:1
Now the Spirit expressly states that in later times some will abandon the faith to follow deceitful spirits and the teachings of demons,


Treasury of Scripture

Then said he to the disciples, It is impossible but that offenses will come: but woe to him, through whom they come!

It is.

Matthew 16:23
But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.

Matthew 18:7
Woe unto the world because of offences! for it must needs be that offences come; but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh!

Romans 14:13,20,21
Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumblingblock or an occasion to fall in his brother's way…

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Alas Blocks Bound Cause Causes Disciples Impossible Inevitable Jesus Necessary Occasions Offences Sin Stumbling Sure Temptations Trouble Unhappy Woe
Luke 17
1. Jesus teaches to avoid occasions of offense;
3. and to forgive one another.
5. The power of faith.
6. How we are bound to God.
11. Jesus heals ten lepers.
22. Of the kingdom of God, and the coming of the Son of Man.














XVII.

(1) It is impossible but that offences will come.--In this instance, the absence of any apparent connection might, perhaps, justify us in looking on the two precepts as having been noted by St. Luke for their own intrinsic value, without regard to the context in which they had been spoken. (See Notes on Matthew 18:7.) Even here, however, we must remember that there may have been what we have called "dropped links." It is not hard to see that the self-indulgent life, after the pattern of that of the rich man in the preceding parable, was an "offence" which, in one sense, must needs come, in the history of the Christian Church, as it had come in the Jewish, and yet would bring a woe on the man through whom it came.

Verses 1-37. - The Master's teaching on the subject of the injury worked on the souls of others by our sins. The disciples pray for an increase of faith that they may be kept from such sins. The Lord's reply. His little parable on humility. The healing of the ten lepers. The ingratitude of all save one. The question of the Pharisees as to the coming of the kingdom. The Lord's answer, and his teaching respecting the awful suddenness of the advent of the Son of man. Verses 1, 2. - Then said he unto the disciples, It is impossible but that offences will come: but woe unto him, through whom they come: It were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he cast into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones. The thread of connection here is not very obvious, and many expositors are content with regarding this seventeenth chapter as simply containing certain lessons of teaching placed here by St. Luke without regard to anything which preceded or succeeded them in the narrative, these expositors regarding the contents of this chapter as well authenticated sayings of the Master, which were repeated to Luke or Paul without any precise note of time or place, and which appeared to them too important for them to omit in these memoirs of the Divine life. Notwithstanding this deliberate opinion, endorsed by Godet and others, there does seem a clear connection here with the narrative immediately preceding. The Divine Master, while mourning over the sorrowful certainty of offences being committed in the present confused and disordered state of things, yet pronounces a bitter woe on the soul of the man through whose agency the offences were wrought. The "little cues" whom these offences would injure are clearly in this instance not children, although, of course, the words would include the very young, for whom Jesus ever showed the tenderest love; but the reference is clearly to disciples whose faith was only as yet weak and wavering - to men and women who would be easily influenced either for good or evil. The offences, then, especially alluded to were no doubt the worldliness and selfishness of professors of godliness. The sight of these, professedly serving God and all the while serving mammon more earnestly, would bring the very name of God's service into evil odour with some; while with others such conduct would serve as an example to be imitated. The selfish rich man of the great parable just spoken, professedly a religious man, one who evidently prided himself on his descent from Abraham the friend of God, and yet lived as a heartless, selfish sinner, who was eventually condemned for inhumanity, was probably in the Lord's mind when he spoke thus. What fatal injury to the cause of true religion would be caused by one such life as that! It were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he east into the sea. This was a punishment not unknown among the ancients. The ancient Latin Version, and Marcion in his recension of St. Luke, read here, "It were better for him that he had never been born, or that a millstone." etc. The awful sequel to a life which apparently had given the offence to which the Lord referred, endorses this terrible alternative. Yes; better indeed for him had that evil life been cut short even by such a death of horror as the Master pictures here, when he speaks of the living being cast into the sea bound to a millstone.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Greek
[Jesus] said
Εἶπεν (Eipen)
Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 2036: Answer, bid, bring word, command. A primary verb; to speak or say.

to
πρὸς (pros)
Preposition
Strong's 4314: To, towards, with. A strengthened form of pro; a preposition of direction; forward to, i.e. Toward.

His
αὐτοῦ (autou)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Genitive Masculine 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 846: He, she, it, they, them, same. From the particle au; the reflexive pronoun self, used of the third person, and of the other persons.

disciples,
μαθητὰς (mathētas)
Noun - Accusative Masculine Plural
Strong's 3101: A learner, disciple, pupil. From manthano; a learner, i.e. Pupil.

“It is
ἐστιν (estin)
Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 1510: I am, exist. The first person singular present indicative; a prolonged form of a primary and defective verb; I exist.

inevitable
Ἀνένδεκτόν (Anendekton)
Adjective - Nominative Neuter Singular
Strong's 418: Impossible, inadmissible. Unadmitted, i.e. not supposable.

that
τοῦ (tou)
Article - Genitive Neuter Singular
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

stumbling blocks
σκάνδαλα (skandala)
Noun - Accusative Neuter Plural
Strong's 4625: A snare, stumbling-block, cause for error. Scandal; probably from a derivative of kampto; a trap-stick, i.e. Snare.

will come,
ἐλθεῖν (elthein)
Verb - Aorist Infinitive Active
Strong's 2064: To come, go.

but
πλὴν (plēn)
Conjunction
Strong's 4133: However, nevertheless, but, except that, yet. From pleion; moreover, i.e. Albeit, save that, rather, yet.

woe [ to the one ]
οὐαὶ (ouai)
Interjection
Strong's 3759: Woe!, alas!, uttered in grief or denunciation. A primary exclamation of grief; 'woe'.

through
δι’ (di’)
Preposition
Strong's 1223: A primary preposition denoting the channel of an act; through.

whom
οὗ (hou)
Personal / Relative Pronoun - Genitive Masculine Singular
Strong's 3739: Who, which, what, that.

they come!
ἔρχεται (erchetai)
Verb - Present Indicative Middle or Passive - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 2064: To come, go.


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NT Gospels: Luke 17:1 He said to the disciples It (Luke Lu Lk)
Luke 16:31
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