ris3n's Apologetics Codex
Luke 12.32
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Passage

Luke 12.32

Book: Luke · NASB95

Immediate context (±2 verses)

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ASV

30. For all these things do the nations of the world seek after: but your Father knoweth that ye have need of these things. 31. Yet seek ye his kingdom, and these things shall be added unto you.

32. Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.

  1. Sell that which ye have, and give alms; make for yourselves purses which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief draweth near, neither moth destroyeth. 34. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. (Luke 12:30-34, ASV)
WEB

30. For the nations of the world seek after all of these things, but your Father knows that you need these things. 31. But seek God’s Kingdom, and all these things will be added to you.

32. Don’t be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the Kingdom.

  1. Sell that which you have, and give gifts to the needy. Make for yourselves purses which don’t grow old, a treasure in the heavens that doesn’t fail, where no thief approaches, neither moth destroys. 34. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. (Luke 12:30-34, WEB)
KJV

30. For all these things do the nations of the world seek after: and your Father knoweth that ye have need of these things. 31. But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you.

32. Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.

  1. Sell that ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth. 34. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. (Luke 12:30-34, KJV)
YLT

30. for all these things do the nations of the world seek after, and your Father hath known that ye have need of these things; 31. but, seek ye the reign of God, and all these things shall be added to you.

32. 'Fear not, little flock, because your Father did delight to give you the reign;

  1. sell your goods, and give alms, make to yourselves bags that become not old, a treasure unfailing in the heavens, where thief doth not come near, nor moth destroy; 34. for where your treasure is, there also your heart will be. (Luke 12:30-34, YLT)

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Setting

  • Speaker: Jesus
  • Audience: His disciples (12:22)
  • Location: On the long journey to Jerusalem that Luke begins at 9:51
  • Time period: C. AD 29-30, in the last months before the crucifixion

Theological reading

"Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom" (Luke 12:32, KJV).

The end of a teaching on worry. The verse closes a passage addressed "unto his disciples" (12:22): take no thought for food or clothing, consider the ravens and the lilies, "seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you" (12:31). The disciples are few and poor, so Jesus calls them a "little flock," poimnion (Strong's G4168), with a shepherd's tenderness.

A gift, not a wage. The kingdom is given, and given gladly: it is the Father's "good pleasure." What follows depends on that: "Sell that ye have, and give alms" (12:33). People who have been given a kingdom can afford to be generous.

Who the little flock is. Jehovah's Witnesses identify the "little flock" with the 144,000 anointed who go to heaven, distinct from the "other sheep" of John 10:16 who live on earth. The Jehovah's Witnesses vs the Christian God comparison notes that the passage is addressed to Jesus' disciples in general (12:22), the same audience told not to worry about food and clothes, with no sign of a special class within them. In John 10:16 the other sheep join the first so that "there shall be one fold, and one shepherd." See Revelation 7.4.

Key words

Theologically-loaded Greek or Hebrew words in this verse may have entries in the lexicon. Curated to roughly 100 contested terms across the corpus, not every word.

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Why these four translations

ris3n chose ASV, WEB, KJV, and YLT for two reasons together. They are the most literal English translations available (formal-equivalence: word-for-word renderings that preserve the Hebrew and Greek grammar rather than smoothing it into modern dynamic-equivalence idiom). And they are in the public domain in the United States, which means fair-use quotation at any length requires no publisher license. Modern licensed translations (NASB95, ESV, NIV) restrict volume of quotation under their copyright terms, so they are not used at stub-level coverage here. NASB95 appears only on hand-curated rich passage hubs under Lockman Foundation's fair-use allowance.

The four:

  • ASV (American Standard Version, 1901). The basis of the modern critical-text English tradition.
  • WEB (World English Bible, contemporary). Public-domain revision in the ASV line, in current English.
  • KJV (King James Version, 1611). Reformation-era, Textus Receptus base.
  • YLT (Young's Literal Translation, Robert Young, 1862). Hyper-literal preservation of Hebrew and Greek grammar; useful for word-study work even where English reads stiff.

See Bibles for the full per-translation history, translators, textual basis, strengths, and weaknesses.