Log inSign up

Luke 19 · a question people ask

"But bring those enemies of mine who didn’t want me to reign over them here, and kill them before me" (19:27). What does it mean?

In the text

These are words inside the story Jesus tells. By the WEB's quotation marks, 19:26-27 are still inside the story, and Jesus's own words close at the end of 19:27. The words speak of those "who didn’t want me to reign over them" (19:27), and earlier the story told how "his citizens hated him, and sent an envoy after him, saying, ‘We don’t want this man to reign over us.’" (19:14). Luke tells of no explanation of the story beyond the reason he gives for it (19:11), and these notes give none. They say no more of 19:27 than its words, and apply it to no people, then or now.

The verses

“As they heard these things, he went on and told a parable, because he was near Jerusalem, and they supposed that God’s Kingdom would be revealed immediately.”
Luke 19:11 · World English Bible
“But his citizens hated him, and sent an envoy after him, saying, ‘We don’t want this man to reign over us.’”
Luke 19:14 · World English Bible
“‘For I tell you that to everyone who has, will more be given; but from him who doesn’t have, even that which he has will be taken away from him. But bring those enemies of mine who didn’t want me to reign over them here, and kill them before me.’””
Luke 19:26-27 · World English Bible

From Favor's study of Luke 19

Luke 19: To seek and to save

Zacchaeus was trying to see who Jesus was (19:3), and Jesus says the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost (19:10). In Luke's Greek the same verb is behind both, and it comes once more, with the verb behind lost, when the chief priests, the scribes and the leading men sought to destroy him (19:47).

In Favor, questions like this come up right where they arise as you read, with the Hebrew and Greek behind the words and how the chapter leads to Jesus.

Start your free weekLuke 19 Bible study

First week free, then $10 a month per person

More questions about Luke 19

All questions about Luke →

Did we miss something?

We're a small team, and we can make mistakes. If something here looks wrong or unclear, tell us and we'll check it against the text.

Tell us

The best way to learn the Bible

Favor opens up every chapter as you read.

Favor is a Bible study app for your phone or computer. It takes you through the Bible one chapter at a time, a few minutes a day, and shows you what's really there: the words behind the words, the moments most people miss, and how the whole story fits together. For you. For everyone.

  • Every chapter explains itself

    As you read, short notes open up what's really going on, the details most readers walk past, and the honest questions people ask.

  • The Hebrew and Greek behind it

    Tap a highlighted word to see the original, how to say it, and what it means, checked against the original-language texts.

  • Every page leads to Jesus

    Watch promises made in Genesis kept in Jesus. Each line lights up on your map as you read.

  • Better together

    Read on your own, or start a Bible study with friends, family or your church. Answers stay sealed until you meet, then appear together.

  1. 1

    Start your free week

    Sign up in a minute with your email.

  2. 2

    Read a few minutes a day

    Each chapter opens itself up as you go. Tap what you're curious about.

  3. 3

    Bring your people, if you like

    Send one link. Everyone reads the same chapter, then meets to talk.

The best way to study the Bible.

Your small group or your church can use Favor for Bible study, or you can read by yourself.

First week free, then $10 a month per person

Questions like this, in every chapter

The best way to learn the Bible. For you. For everyone.

There's a seat for you at the table.

Start your free week

First week free, then $10 a month per person · Log in

Last reviewed October 7, 2026. Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible, which is in the public domain. Every answer cites the verses it rests on. What we believe · All Bible questions