What Does Luke 4:22 Mean?
And all bore witness to him, and wondered at the words of favor that went out of his mouth. And they said, Is not this Joseph's son?
Key words are shown with the Hebrew or Greek and what each word meant.
Selah Decoded Version The Selah Decoded Version renders what the Hebrew and Greek words meant to the people who first heard them.
King James wording
King James Version
And all bare him witness, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth. And they said, Is not this Joseph’s son?THE KEY
The listeners recognize favor in the words, then narrow the speaker to a familiar name.
THE MEANING
You can recognize favor in words and still reduce the speaker to the familiar story you already know. The verse holds both responses together: wonder at what comes from a mouth, then the narrowing question, “Is not this Joseph’s son?”
WHAT THIS UNDOES
It undoes the belief that a familiar origin fully explains a person and limits what their words can carry.
THE ROOT
χάριτος
charitos
GROWS FROM
χαρι-
chari-
Favor; graciousness freely given.
The Greek phrase is “words of favor”: what proceeds from his mouth is heard as something given, not merely as pleasant speech. This word family also includes χαρίζομαι (charizomai, to grant freely or forgive) and χάρισμα (charisma, a gracious gift), connecting favor with what is freely extended to another.
ALSO GROWS
charizomai: Grant freely, show favor, or forgive.
χαρίζομαι
This branch shows favor as something extended to another, as the words here proceed from the speaker.
charisma: A gracious gift.
χάρισμα
It connects favor with a gift given, deepening the sense of these words as favor carried outward.
THE PATTERN
Favor can travel through speech as something received, given, and recognized.
You are fairer than the children of humankind, for favor is poured into your lips. Therefore God has blessed you for the ages.Pleasant words are like a dripping honeycomb, sweet to the living soul and healing to the bones.Let your word always be in favor, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you must answer each one.THE THREAD
Let your word always be in favor, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you must answer each one.Both verses carry χάρις (charis, favor): Luke describes words of favor coming from a mouth, and Colossians brings that same favor into the reader’s speech. The shared root opens favor as something that can be recognized in another’s words and extended in one’s own.
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