Verse Lens · Expanded explanation
Luke 17:23 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 23. 23And they shall say to you, See here; or, see there: go not after them, nor follow them.
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Quick Meaning
Luke 17:23 forbids chasing location claims about the Son-of-Man day.
No 'lo here' for a kingdom already among them, and no calendar for the Son's day
This verse is one part of that explanation in Luke 17:20–17:37. The complete section carries the connected meaning and how it should shape life.
Read It With
- Luke 17:20–17:37
Read Luke 17:23 with 17:20–17:37. In isolation, this contribution—forbids chasing location claims about the Son-of-Man day—can be detached from its speaker, audience, scene or teaching sequence, and outcome. The complete unit establishes: Jesus tells Pharisees God's kingdom is not captured by observable signs and is among them, then warns disciples against chasing claims, compares the Son-of-Man day to Noah and Lot, and demands readiness amid sudden separation.
Follow the Context
- Identify the actors, setting, and initiating speech or action in Luke 17:20–17:37.
- Jesus tells Pharisees God's kingdom is not captured by observable signs and is among them, then warns disciples against chasing claims, compares the Son-of-Man day to Noah and Lot, and demands readiness amid sudden separation.
- Hold this material interpretive limit in view: The KJV 'within you' can mean among you; the audience makes an inward kingdom reading unlikely. The sayings combine present kingdom, suffering, Jerusalem horizon, and final disclosure without a calculable schedule.
What This Verse Is Not Saying
This verse does not detach its specific contribution—forbids chasing location claims about the Son-of-Man day—from the complete unit or override the unit's explicit boundary: The discourse does not authorize date-setting, conspiracy mapping, abandonment of responsibilities, anti-Pharisee contempt, or identifying disasters as certain end-time signals.
What Remains True
Luke 17:23 forbids chasing location claims about the Son-of-Man day. Read inside Luke 17:20–17:37, this contribution supports the unit's proportionate truth: Jesus tells Pharisees God's kingdom is not captured by observable signs and is among them, then warns disciples against chasing claims, compares the Son-of-Man day to Noah and Lot, and demands readiness amid sudden separation. 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 17:20–17:37 — The Kingdom Is Present among You and the Son's Day Remains UnscheduledSources used for this Verse Lens
How certain is this explanation? probable
Where care is needed
The KJV 'within you' can mean among you; the audience makes an inward kingdom reading unlikely. The sayings combine present kingdom, suffering, Jerusalem horizon, and final disclosure without a calculable schedule.
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 17:20–17:37, 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, 17:20–17:37
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 17:20–17:37
Open source ↗