Verse Lens · Expanded explanation
Luke 10:39 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 39. 39And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus’ feet, and heard his word.
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Quick Meaning
Luke 10:39 places Mary among learners at Jesus' feet rather than outside theological attention.
Martha's house is open; Mary's portion is not a slight against work
This verse is one part of that explanation in Luke 10:38–10:42. The complete section carries the connected meaning and how it should shape life.
Read It With
- Luke 10:38–10:42
Read Luke 10:39 with 10:38–10:42. In isolation, this contribution—places Mary among learners at Jesus' feet rather than outside theological attention—can be detached from its speaker, audience, scene or teaching sequence, and outcome. The complete unit establishes: Martha welcomes Jesus and labors over service while Mary sits among learners; Martha voices isolation, and Jesus answers her anxiety and identifies Mary's chosen portion.
Follow the Context
- Identify the actors, setting, and initiating speech or action in Luke 10:38–10:42.
- Martha welcomes Jesus and labors over service while Mary sits among learners; Martha voices isolation, and Jesus answers her anxiety and identifies Mary's chosen portion.
- Hold this material interpretive limit in view: The text honors hospitality while critiquing distraction and the attempt to recruit authority against another woman. It does not define domestic work as inferior or set women against one another.
What This Verse Is Not Saying
This verse does not detach its specific contribution—places Mary among learners at Jesus' feet rather than outside theological attention—from the complete unit or override the unit's explicit boundary: The episode does not demean caregiving, romanticize overload, silence complaints, or restrict women to either study or service.
What Remains True
Luke 10:39 places Mary among learners at Jesus' feet rather than outside theological attention. Read inside Luke 10:38–10:42, this contribution supports the unit's proportionate truth: Martha welcomes Jesus and labors over service while Mary sits among learners; Martha voices isolation, and Jesus answers her anxiety and identifies Mary's chosen portion. Its use remains accountable to affected people and the unit's explicit boundary.
Continue in Context
Read the complete section for the connected explanation and how it should shape life. This verse is a doorway into that passage, not a saying that stands alone.
Read Luke 10:38–10:42 — Mary Listens while Martha Names OverloadSources used for this Verse Lens
How certain is this explanation? probable
These are the sources used directly for this lens. Language, grammar, disagreements, and the complete source shelf remain attached to the full thought-unit research record.
Biblical text
King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006
eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society
USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.
Supports: Exact displayed KJV wording, verse order, paragraph metadata, supplied-word markup, and coverage.
Exact location: Luke 10:38–10:42, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM-derived repository corpus
Open source ↗Greek textual evidence
The Greek New Testament: SBL Edition
Michael W. Holmes, editor; Society of Biblical Literature and Logos
Society of Biblical Literature and Logos Bible Software, 2010
Supports: Greek wording and sentence relations; the edition is not treated as a complete apparatus.
Exact location: Faithlife SBLGNT official repository, data/sblgnt/text/Luke.txt, 10:38–10:42
Open the Luke Greek text file ↗open translation and translator notes
NET Bible First Edition Notes: Luke
Biblical Studies Press
Biblical Studies Press, 2006
Supports: Verse-level translation, syntax, KJV-language clarification, historical notes, Synoptic parallels, and textual alternatives.
Exact location: NET Bible First Edition Luke PDF, exact tn/tc/sn entries attached to Luke 10:38–10:42
Open source ↗