Luke 9:23
New International Version
Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.

New Living Translation
Then he said to the crowd, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow me.

English Standard Version
And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.

Berean Standard Bible
Then Jesus said to all of them, “If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me.

Berean Literal Bible
And He was saying to all, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and let him take up his cross every day, and let him follow Me.

King James Bible
And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.

New King James Version
Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.

New American Standard Bible
And He was saying to them all, “If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow Me.

NASB 1995
And He was saying to them all, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me.

NASB 1977
And He was saying to them all, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.

Legacy Standard Bible
And He was saying to them all, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me.

Amplified Bible
And He was saying to them all, “If anyone wishes to follow Me [as My disciple], he must deny himself [set aside selfish interests], and take up his cross daily [expressing a willingness to endure whatever may come] and follow Me [believing in Me, conforming to My example in living and, if need be, suffering or perhaps dying because of faith in Me].

Christian Standard Bible
Then he said to them all, “If anyone wants to follow after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow me.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Then He said to them all, “If anyone wants to come with Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow Me.

American Standard Version
And he said unto all, If any man would come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.

Contemporary English Version
Then Jesus said to all the people: If any of you want to be my followers, you must forget about yourself. You must take up your cross every day and follow me.

English Revised Version
And he said unto all, If any man would come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
He said to all of them, "Those who want to come with me must say no to the things they want, pick up their crosses every day, and follow me.

Good News Translation
And he said to them all, "If you want to come with me, you must forget yourself, take up your cross every day, and follow me.

International Standard Version
Then he told all of them, "If anyone wants to come with me, he must deny himself, pick up his cross every day, and follow me continuously,

Majority Standard Bible
Then Jesus said to all of them, ?If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me.

NET Bible
Then he said to them all, "If anyone wants to become my follower, he must deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow me.

New Heart English Bible
He said to all, "If anyone desires to come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow me.

Webster's Bible Translation
And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.

Weymouth New Testament
And He said to all, "If any one is desirous of following me, let him ignore self and take up his cross day by day, and so be my follower.

World English Bible
He said to all, “If anyone desires to come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
And He said to all, “If anyone wills to come after Me, let him disown himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me;

Berean Literal Bible
And He was saying to all, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and let him take up his cross every day, and let him follow Me.

Young's Literal Translation
And he said unto all, 'If any one doth will to come after me, let him disown himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me;

Smith's Literal Translation
And he said to all, If any one wish to come after me, let him deny himself, and lift up his cross daily and let him follow me.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And he said to all: If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.

Catholic Public Domain Version
Then he said to everyone: “If anyone is willing to come after me: let him deny himself, and take up his cross every day, and follow me.

New American Bible
Then he said to all, “If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.

New Revised Standard Version
Then he said to them all, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Then he said in the presence of everyone, He who wishes to come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross every day and follow me.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
And he said before everyone, “Whoever is willing to come after me, let him deny himself, let him take up his cross everyday, and let him come after me.”
NT Translations
Anderson New Testament
And he said to them all: If any one determines to come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.

Godbey New Testament
And He spoke to all, If any one wishes to come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.

Haweis New Testament
And he said unto them, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.

Mace New Testament
Then he said to the whole company, if any one will be my follower, let him renounce himself, take up his cross daily, and follow me.

Weymouth New Testament
And He said to all, "If any one is desirous of following me, let him ignore self and take up his cross day by day, and so be my follower.

Worrell New Testament
And He said to all, "If any one wishes to come after Me, let him disown himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.

Worsley New Testament
And He said unto them all, if any one is willing to come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me:

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Take Up Your Cross
22“The Son of Man must suffer many things,” He said. “He must be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and scribes, and He must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.” 23Then Jesus said to all of them, “If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me. 24For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it.…

Cross References
Matthew 16:24
Then Jesus told His disciples, “If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me.

Mark 8:34
Then Jesus called the crowd to Him along with His disciples, and He told them, “If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me.

Matthew 10:38
and anyone who does not take up his cross and follow Me is not worthy of Me.

Mark 10:21
Jesus looked at him, loved him, and said to him, “There is one thing you lack: Go, sell everything you own and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow Me.”

John 12:25-26
Whoever loves his life will lose it, but whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. / If anyone serves Me, he must follow Me; and where I am, My servant will be as well. If anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him.

Romans 8:17
And if we are children, then we are heirs: heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ—if indeed we suffer with Him, so that we may also be glorified with Him.

2 Timothy 2:11-12
This is a trustworthy saying: If we died with Him, we will also live with Him; / if we endure, we will also reign with Him; if we deny Him, He will also deny us;

Galatians 2:20
I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.

Philippians 3:10
I want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to Him in His death,

1 Peter 2:21
For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in His footsteps:

1 John 2:6
Whoever claims to abide in Him must walk as Jesus walked.

Matthew 5:11-12
Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. / Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets before you.

Matthew 7:13-14
Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. / But small is the gate and narrow the way that leads to life, and only a few find it.

Romans 6:6
We know that our old self was crucified with Him so that the body of sin might be rendered powerless, that we should no longer be slaves to sin.

1 Corinthians 15:31
I face death every day, brothers, as surely as I boast about you in Christ Jesus our Lord.


Treasury of Scripture

And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.

If.

Luke 14:26,27
If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple…

Matthew 10:38,39
And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me…

Matthew 16:22-25
Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee…

deny.

Titus 2:12
Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;

daily.

1 Corinthians 15:30,31
And why stand we in jeopardy every hour? …

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Cross Daily Deny Desire Desires Desirous Disown Follow Follower Following Ignore Self Wishes
Luke 9
1. Jesus sends his apostles to work miracles, and to preach.
7. Herod desires to see Jesus.
10. The apostles return.
12. Jesus feeds five thousand;
18. inquires what opinion the world had of him; foretells his passion;
23. proposes to all the pattern of his patience.
28. The transfiguration.
37. He heals the lunatic;
43. again forewarns his disciples of his passion;
46. commends humility;
51. bids them to show mildness toward all, without desire of revenge.
57. Many would follow him, but upon conditions.














Then Jesus said to all of them
This phrase sets the scene for a pivotal teaching moment. The Greek word for "said" is "εἶπεν" (eipen), indicating a declaration or proclamation. Jesus is addressing not just His disciples but a broader audience, emphasizing the universal nature of His call. The phrase "to all of them" underscores the inclusivity of His message, inviting everyone to listen and consider His words.

If anyone would come after Me
The phrase "come after Me" is a call to discipleship. The Greek word "ἔρχεσθαι" (erchesthai) means to come or to go, suggesting movement and action. This is not a passive following but an active pursuit of Jesus. The use of "anyone" highlights the open invitation to all, regardless of background or status, to become a follower of Christ.

he must deny himself
"Deny" comes from the Greek word "ἀπαρνησάσθω" (aparneomai), meaning to disown or renounce. This is a call to reject self-centeredness and personal desires that conflict with God's will. In a historical context, this would have been a radical departure from the cultural norms of self-preservation and honor. It is a call to prioritize Christ above all else.

and take up his cross daily
The "cross" is a symbol of suffering, sacrifice, and ultimately, redemption. In the Roman world, the cross was an instrument of execution, representing shame and death. The Greek word "σταυρόν" (stauron) signifies this burden. The addition of "daily" emphasizes the continual nature of this commitment. It is not a one-time act but a daily choice to embrace the challenges and sacrifices of following Christ.

and follow Me
The Greek word for "follow" is "ἀκολουθείτω" (akoloutheito), which means to accompany or to go along with. This implies a close, personal relationship with Jesus, walking in His footsteps and adhering to His teachings. Historically, disciples would physically follow their rabbi, learning from their example. Spiritually, this means aligning one's life with the principles and mission of Jesus.

(23-27) If any man will come after me.--See Notes on Matthew 16:24-28; Mark 8:34; Mark 9:1.

Take up his cross daily.--The adverb is peculiar to St. Luke's report, and at least reminds us of St. Paul's "I die daily" (1Corinthians 15:31).

Verse 23. - And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. Before sketching out the life which the true disciples of a suffering King Messiah must lead on earth, our Lord seems to have given notice of one of his public discourses. Even though his great popularity was now on the wane, to the last he was evidently listened to by crowds, if not with enthusiasm, certainly with eager and impatient curiosity. The sermon, of which we have the outline in the next five verses, and the subject-matter of which was, "No cross, no crown," was preached evidently to the masses. This is plain from the opening words of ver. 23. The sermon was evidently a hard saying, and, no doubt, gave bitter offence to many of the hearers. "If any man will," that is, wishes to, "come after me, to follow me where I am going" (Jesus was going to his kingdom), "let that man be prepared to give up earthly ease and comfort, and be ready to bear the sufferings which will be sure to fall on him if he struggle after holiness." This readiness to give up ease, this willingness to bear suffering, will be a matter, they must remember, of everyday experience. The terrible simile with which the Lord pressed his stern lesson home was, of course, suggested to him by the clear view he had of the fearful end of his own earthly life - an end then so near at hand, though the disciples guessed it not. The cross was no unknown image to the Jews who that day listened to the Master. The gloomy procession of robbers and of rebels against Rome, each condemned one bearing to the place of death the cross on which he was to suffer, was a sadly familiar image then in their unhappy land.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Greek
Then
δὲ (de)
Conjunction
Strong's 1161: A primary particle; but, and, etc.

[Jesus] said
Ἔλεγεν (Elegen)
Verb - Imperfect 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.

all of them,
πάντας (pantas)
Adjective - Accusative Masculine Plural
Strong's 3956: All, the whole, every kind of. Including all the forms of declension; apparently a primary word; all, any, every, the whole.

“If
Εἴ (Ei)
Conjunction
Strong's 1487: If. A primary particle of conditionality; if, whether, that, etc.

anyone
τις (tis)
Interrogative / Indefinite Pronoun - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 5100: Any one, some one, a certain one or thing. An enclitic indefinite pronoun; some or any person or object.

would
θέλει (thelei)
Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 2309: To will, wish, desire, be willing, intend, design.

come
ἔρχεσθαι (erchesthai)
Verb - Present Infinitive Middle or Passive
Strong's 2064: To come, go.

after
ὀπίσω (opisō)
Preposition
Strong's 3694: Behind, after; back, backwards. From the same as opisthen with enclitic of direction; to the back, i.e. Aback.

Me,
μου (mou)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Genitive 1st Person Singular
Strong's 1473: I, the first-person pronoun. A primary pronoun of the first person I.

he must deny
ἀρνησάσθω (arnēsasthō)
Verb - Aorist Imperative Middle - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 720: Perhaps from a and the middle voice of rheo; to contradict, i.e. Disavow, reject, abnegate.

himself
ἑαυτὸν (heauton)
Reflexive Pronoun - Accusative Masculine 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 1438: Himself, herself, itself.

and
καὶ (kai)
Conjunction
Strong's 2532: And, even, also, namely.

take up
ἀράτω (aratō)
Verb - Aorist Imperative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 142: To raise, lift up, take away, remove.

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.

cross
σταυρὸν (stauron)
Noun - Accusative Masculine Singular
Strong's 4716: A cross.

daily
ἡμέραν (hēmeran)
Noun - Accusative Feminine Singular
Strong's 2250: A day, the period from sunrise to sunset.

and
καὶ (kai)
Conjunction
Strong's 2532: And, even, also, namely.

follow
ἀκολουθείτω (akoloutheitō)
Verb - Present Imperative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 190: To accompany, attend, follow. Properly, to be in the same way with, i.e. To accompany.

Me.
μοι (moi)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Dative 1st Person Singular
Strong's 1473: I, the first-person pronoun. A primary pronoun of the first person I.


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