What Does Luke 9:23 Mean in the King James?
And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.
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 cross here is an execution instrument, so following Jesus happens under a daily reality of death, not merely ordinary inconvenience.
THE MEANING
Jesus speaks to each person who comes after him: the self is no longer the final authority, and his way is followed through a cross carried daily. The verse gives this following a daily rhythm and names its cost without softening the image of death.
WHAT THIS UNDOES
This undoes the belief that following Jesus leaves the self in control, with discipleship added as an accessory.
THE ROOT
ἀπαρνησάσθω
aparnēsasthō
GROWS FROM
ἀρνέομαι
arneomai
To deny, disown, or refuse association.
“deny himself” in this verse is aparnēsasthō. The verb turns denial inward: he is to disown himself. Its shared root with the denial of Jesus in Luke 12:9 makes the word a mirror, showing that denial has an object, and asking what is being disowned.
ALSO GROWS
arneomai: To deny or disown.
ἀρνέομαι
This is the base verb beneath the form used here, keeping the sense of disowning visible.
arnēsis: Denial or disavowal.
ἄρνησις
The related noun shows that this root names an act of disowning, not simply an inward feeling.
σταυρόν
stauron
GROWS FROM
σταυρός
stauros
A stake or cross used as an instrument of execution.
“cross” in this verse is stauron. The Greek word names an execution instrument, not a general hardship. With “daily,” the verse places that severe image inside the repeated rhythm of following.
ALSO GROWS
stauroō: To crucify.
σταυρόω
The related verb keeps the cross tied to the act of execution.
staurōsis: Crucifixion.
σταύρωσις
This related noun makes explicit the violent reality carried in the word “cross.”
THE PATTERN
Following God reorders the self’s claim to direct its own path.
Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.THE THREAD
But he that denieth me before men shall be denied before the angels of God.Both verses use forms of ἀρνέομαι (arneomai, to deny or disown). In Luke 9:23 the verb turns inward toward the self; here it turns toward Jesus, and the shared root reveals the sharp question of what is being disowned.
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