Verse Lens · Expanded explanation
Luke 22:31 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 31. 31And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat:
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Quick Meaning
Luke 22:31 uses plural sifting for the group before singular address to Simon.
Read It With
- Luke 22:31–22:34
Read Luke 22:31 with 22:31–22:34. In isolation, this contribution—uses plural sifting for the group before singular address to Simon—can be detached from its speaker, audience, scene or teaching sequence, and outcome. The complete unit establishes: Jesus says Satan sought to sift the disciples, tells Simon he has prayed for his faith, charges him after turning to strengthen others, and predicts Peter's three denials despite his confidence.
Why This Verse Appears Here
Luke 22:31 uses plural sifting for the group before singular address to Simon. This precise contribution belongs inside “Jesus Warns Peter and Prays for His Return” because Jesus says Satan sought to sift the disciples, tells Simon he has prayed for his faith, charges him after turning to strengthen others, and predicts Peter's three denials despite his confidence.
Follow the Context
- Identify the actors, setting, and initiating speech or action in Luke 22:31–22:34.
- Jesus says Satan sought to sift the disciples, tells Simon he has prayed for his faith, charges him after turning to strengthen others, and predicts Peter's three denials despite his confidence.
- Hold this material interpretive limit in view: Plural and singular pronouns show communal testing and focused address to Peter. Restoration is anticipated, but it does not make betrayal harmless or guarantee leadership without repair.
What This Verse Is Not Saying
This verse does not detach its specific contribution—uses plural sifting for the group before singular address to Simon—from the complete unit or override the unit's explicit boundary: The scene does not excuse leader failure, bypass accountability, shame tested people, or make confidence proof of readiness.
What Remains True
Luke 22:31 uses plural sifting for the group before singular address to Simon. Read inside Luke 22:31–22:34, this contribution supports the unit's proportionate truth: Jesus says Satan sought to sift the disciples, tells Simon he has prayed for his faith, charges him after turning to strengthen others, and predicts Peter's three denials despite his confidence. Its use remains accountable to affected people and the unit's explicit boundary.
How It Can Shape Life
- Luke 22:31 uses plural sifting for the group before singular address to Simon. Its faithful response is proportionate to that role: Support people under testing, tell the truth about failure, and make restoration include turning, repair, and accountable service rather than automatic return to leadership.
Teach It Back
Explain Luke 22:31's specific contribution to Luke 22:31–22:34: uses plural sifting for the group before singular address to Simon. Include the preceding and following movement, one source-controlled uncertainty, one affected person or group, and what the verse does not authorize.
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Continue in Context
The full thought-unit study remains the final contextual authority for this Verse Lens.
Read Luke 22:31–22:34 — Jesus Warns Peter and Prays for His ReturnSources 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 22:31–22:34, 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, 22:31–22:34
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 22:31–22:34
Open source ↗