What Does Luke 9:18 Mean in the King James?

And it came to pass, as he was alone praying, his disciples were with him: and he asked them, saying, Whom say the people that I am?

Luke 9:18 · KJV

The analysis reads the King James wording.

King James Version The King James Version, first published in 1611. Selah Verse shows the standard text.

This verse in the Selah Decoded Version

THE KEY

Jesus makes public talk about his identity a live question among those learning him.

THE MEANING

In prayer, the question opens: what do the crowds say Jesus is? Their words come into the company of the learners who are with him, and the next verse turns the question toward their own speech.

THE ROOT

λέγουσιν

legousin

GROWS FROM

λέγω

legō

To say, speak, or tell.

“say” in this verse is legousin. This word family includes both speaking and the word or account spoken: the crowd’s answer is an account of Jesus carried in language. Jesus brings that account into the open among the learners.

ALSO GROWS

logos: Word, message, or account.

λόγος

The crowds’ words form an account of who Jesus is.

lexis: Speech or wording.

λέξις

This branch keeps attention on how identity is expressed through words.

μαθηταί

mathētai

GROWS FROM

μανθάνω

manthanō

To learn.

The word translated “disciples” names these people as learners. Their presence gives the identity question a setting of ongoing learning: they hear what the crowds say while their own understanding is taking shape.

ALSO GROWS

mathētēs: Learner, student, or disciple.

μαθητής

This is the singular form of the word used for Jesus’ disciples.

mathēma: A lesson or something learned.

μάθημα

The shared root connects being a disciple with the process of learning.

THE PATTERN

Identity comes into view when claims about a person are brought into a direct question.

And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them?

Exodus 3:13 · KJVMoses brings the question of God’s name into the encounter, opening the way for God’s self-disclosure.

And this is the record of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, Who art thou?

John 1:19 · KJVA direct question brings John’s identity into the open before those who have come to hear him.

And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.

Acts 9:5 · KJVThe question “Who art thou?” meets an answer that names Jesus directly.

THE THREAD

He said unto them, But whom say ye that I am? Peter answering said, The Christ of God.

Luke 9:20 · KJV

Both verses use ⁨λέγω⁩ (legō, “to say”). The subject shifts from the crowds to the disciples: the public account becomes a question put directly to those learning Jesus.

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