Verse Lens · Expanded explanation
Luke 18:14 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 14. 14I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Quick Meaning
Luke 18:14 declares the humbled petitioner justified and states the reversal principle.
Two prayers in the temple, and only one man goes home right with God
This verse is one part of that explanation in Luke 18:9–18:14. The complete section carries the connected meaning and how it should shape life.
Read It With
- Luke 18:9–18:14
Read Luke 18:14 with 18:9–18:14. In isolation, this contribution—declares the humbled petitioner justified and states the reversal principle—can be detached from its speaker, audience, scene or teaching sequence, and outcome. The complete unit establishes: Jesus addresses self-trusting contempt through two temple prayers: a Pharisee lists practices and comparisons, while a tax collector asks mercy; the latter goes home justified, and self-exaltation is reversed.
Follow the Context
- Identify the actors, setting, and initiating speech or action in Luke 18:9–18:14.
- Jesus addresses self-trusting contempt through two temple prayers: a Pharisee lists practices and comparisons, while a tax collector asks mercy; the latter goes home justified, and self-exaltation is reversed.
- Hold this material interpretive limit in view: The parable targets a fictionalized self-righteous speaker, not Pharisees or Jews as a group. The tax collector's exploitation context is not erased by his prayer.
What This Verse Is Not Saying
This verse does not detach its specific contribution—declares the humbled petitioner justified and states the reversal principle—from the complete unit or override the unit's explicit boundary: The parable does not authorize antisemitism, contempt for disciplined practice, romanticizing tax exploitation, or using humility as a performance of superiority.
What Remains True
Luke 18:14 declares the humbled petitioner justified and states the reversal principle. Read inside Luke 18:9–18:14, this contribution supports the unit's proportionate truth: Jesus addresses self-trusting contempt through two temple prayers: a Pharisee lists practices and comparisons, while a tax collector asks mercy; the latter goes home justified, and self-exaltation is reversed. 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 18:9–18:14 — A Pharisee and Tax Collector Expose Self-ExaltationSources 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 18:9–18:14, 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, 18:9–18:14
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 18:9–18:14
Open source ↗