What Does Luke 12:10 Mean in the King James?
And whosoever shall speak a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but unto him that blasphemeth against the Holy Ghost it shall not be forgiven.
The analysis reads the King James wording.
King James Version The King James Version, first published in 1611. Selah Verse shows the standard text.
THE KEY
The verse makes its stark boundary in release-language: speech against the Son of Man is let go, while blasphemy against the Set-Apart Breath is not.
THE MEANING
The verse speaks now with a stark distinction: a word against the Son of Man is released, but blasphemy against the Set-Apart Breath is not. It leaves the boundary between them standing without explaining it away.
WHAT THIS UNDOES
The assumption that every offense named here has the same outcome: the verse gives different outcomes to speech against the Son of Man and blasphemy against the Set-Apart Breath.
THE ROOT
ἀφεθήσεται
aphethēsetai
GROWS FROM
ἀφίημι (ἀπό + ἵημι)
to send away, leave, or release
The Greek repeats ἀφεθήσεται in both halves: the word against the Son of Man is released, while the blasphemy against the Set-Apart Breath is not. The same verb can describe leaving something behind, so “forgiven” here carries the concrete sense of release.
ALSO GROWS
aphesis: release, remission
ἄφεσις
Mark uses this related noun for the absence of forgiveness, making the contrast a question of release.
aphiēmi: leave, let go, release
ἀφίημι
The verb’s range includes leaving something behind as well as releasing an offense; the shared seed joins these meanings.
πνεῦμα
pneuma
GROWS FROM
πνέω
pneō
to blow, breathe
“Holy Ghost” in this verse is pneuma. Pneuma carries breath, wind, and spirit in one word, so “the Set-Apart Breath” preserves a unity English can distribute among several words. The verse names this Breath as the object of the blasphemy it says is not released.
ALSO GROWS
pneō: blow, breathe
πνέω
This verb is the source of the noun’s image of moving air and breath.
pnoē: breath, blast
πνοή
This related word keeps breath and wind within the same family of meaning.
THE PATTERN
Scripture marks contempt or resistance toward God’s Breath as a distinct and consequential breach.
But they rebelled, and vexed his holy Spirit: therefore he was turned to be their enemy, and he fought against them.Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?THE THREAD
But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation:Luke uses ἀφίημι (aphiēmi, release) in both halves; Mark states the same boundary with the related noun ἄφεσις (aphesis, release). The shared word family makes the refusal exact: the second case has no release.
Read the SDV Bible.
Every verse has a Deep Dive in the app.
The iPhone Bible app with the Selah Decoded Version.
Does something in this reading look wrong? Tell us