Verse Lens · Concise explanation
Luke 3:17 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 17. 17Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and will gather the wheat into his garner; but the chaff he will burn with fire unquenchable.
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Quick Meaning
Luke 3:17 supplies Luke 3:17's own evidence for “John Points beyond Himself and Confronts Herod”: “Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and will gather the wheat into his garner; but the chaff he will burn with fire unquenchable”.
John is not the Christ, and Herod is not above rebuke
This verse is one part of that explanation in Luke 3:15–3:20. The complete section carries the connected meaning and how it should shape life.
Read It With
- Luke 3:15–3:20
Read Luke 3:17 with 3:15–3:20. In isolation, this contribution—supplies Luke 3:17's own evidence for “John Points beyond Himself and Confronts Herod”: “Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and will gather the wheat into his garner; but the chaff he will burn with fire unquenchable”—can be detached from its speaker, audience, scene or teaching sequence, and outcome. The complete unit establishes: John denies being the expected Christ, contrasts his water baptism with the stronger one's Holy Ghost and fire, announces threshing judgment, preaches good news, and is imprisoned after rebuking Herod.
What Remains True
Luke 3:17 supplies Luke 3:17's own evidence for “John Points beyond Himself and Confronts Herod”: “Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and will gather the wheat into his garner; but the chaff he will burn with fire unquenchable”. Read inside Luke 3:15–3:20, this contribution supports the unit's proportionate truth: John denies being the expected Christ, contrasts his water baptism with the stronger one's Holy Ghost and fire, announces threshing judgment, preaches good news, and is imprisoned after rebuking Herod. 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 3:15–3:20 — John Points beyond Himself and Confronts HerodSources used for this Verse Lens
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 3:15–3:20, 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, 3:15–3:20
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 3:15–3:20
Open source ↗