Verse Lens · Context pointer
Luke 23:39 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 39. 39And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us.
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Role in This Section
Luke 23:39 marks the selected action or claim in Luke 23:32–23:43 at Luke 23:39: “And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us”.
Read It With
- Luke 23:32–23:43
Read Luke 23:39 with 23:32–23:43. In isolation, this contribution—marks the selected action or claim in Luke 23:32–23:43 at Luke 23:39: “And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us”—can be detached from its speaker, audience, scene or teaching sequence, and outcome. The complete unit establishes: Jesus is crucified with two criminals; rulers and soldiers mock his saving identity, an inscription names him king, one criminal joins contempt, the other acknowledges guilt and Jesus' innocence, and receives a promise of paradise.
Why It Needs Context
Luke 23:39 marks the selected action or claim in Luke 23:32–23:43 at Luke 23:39: “And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us”. Its short connective, pronoun, reply, or scene detail depends on Luke 23:32–23:43; isolation would detach the selected wording from the actor, referent, or development that explains it.
Continue in Context
The full thought-unit study remains the final contextual authority for this Verse Lens.
Read Luke 23:32–23:43 — The Crucified Jesus Faces Mockery and Promises ParadiseSources used for this context pointer
How certain is this explanation? strong
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 23:32–23:43, 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, 23:32–23:43
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 23:32–23:43
Open source ↗