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Luke 21:3

Greek (Tischendorf 8th ed.) Luke 21:3 appears in the Greek New Testament. The text above is from the Tischendorf 8th edition. Each word links to its Strong’s number and a concise gloss. Click any word for its full Thayer’s Greek Lexicon entry.
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Luke 21:3 (World English Bible). Public Domain. Lemma interlinear Bible study tool, https://lemma.gebible.app/v/luke/21/3.

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English Translation
He said, "Truly I tell you, this poor widow put in more than all of them,
World English Bible · Public Domain
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Compare translations 3

The same verse in 3 English versions, stacked beneath the original-language interlinear above. Click any original word for its lexicon entry.

Each is an independent rendering of the whole verse — the interlinear is not word-aligned to these translations.

Highlighted words mark where these versions differ — a whole-verse word diff, not a word-by-word alignment.

  • World English Bible Public Domain
    He said, "Truly I tell you, this poor widow put in more than all of them,
  • King James Version Public Domain
    And he said, Of a truth I say unto you, that this poor widow hath cast in more than they all:
  • unfoldingWord Literal Text CC BY-SA 4.0
    And he said, “Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all.

unfoldingWord Literal Text — © unfoldingWord, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Word-aligned USFM3 via Door43 (git.door43.org/unfoldingWord/en_ult).

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Show all 19 translations

Every available English version of this verse, each an independent rendering of the whole verse.

  • World English Bible Public Domain
    He said, "Truly I tell you, this poor widow put in more than all of them,
  • Berean Standard Bible Public Domain
    “Truly I tell you,” He said, “this poor widow has put in more than all the others.
  • Majority Standard Bible Public Domain
    “Truly I tell you,” He said, “this poor widow has put in more than all the others.
  • King James Version Public Domain
    And he said, Of a truth I say unto you, that this poor widow hath cast in more than they all:
  • American Standard Version (1901) Public Domain
    And he said, Of a truth I say unto you, This poor widow cast in more than they all:
  • Revised Version (1885) Public Domain
    And he said, Of a truth I say unto you, This poor widow cast in more than they all:
  • Geneva Bible (1599) Public Domain
    And he sayd, Of a trueth I say vnto you, that this poore widowe hath cast in more then they all.
  • Douay-Rheims (1899) Public Domain
    And he said: Verily I say to you, that this poor widow hath cast in more than they all:
  • Young's Literal Translation Public Domain
    and he said, `Truly I say to you, that this poor widow did cast in more than all;
  • Literal Standard Version CC BY-SA 4.0
    and He said, “Truly I say to you that this poor widow cast in more than all;
  • Unlocked Literal Bible CC BY-SA 4.0
    So he said, “Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all of them.
  • unfoldingWord Literal Text CC BY-SA 4.0
    And he said, “Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all.
  • Darby Bible Public Domain
    And he said, Verily I say unto you, that this poor widow has cast in more than all;
  • World Messianic Bible Public Domain
    He said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow put in more than all of them,
  • Webster's Bible Public Domain
    And he said, Of a truth I say to you, that this poor widow hath cast in more than they all.
  • Free Bible Version CC BY-SA 4.0
    “I tell you the truth,” he said, “this poor widow has put in more than all the rest together.
  • Bible in Basic English Public Domain
    And he said, Truly I say to you, This poor widow has given more than all of them:
  • Text-Critical English NT CC BY 4.0
    So he said, “Truly I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all the others.
  • Tyndale New Testament (1534) Public Domain
    And he sayde: of a trueth I saye vnto you this poore wyddowe hath put in moare then they all.

Literal Standard Version (2020), Covenant Press — licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API (eBible.org). Unlocked Literal Bible (unfoldingWord) — licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API (eBible.org). unfoldingWord Literal Text — © unfoldingWord, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Word-aligned USFM3 via Door43 (git.door43.org/unfoldingWord/en_ult). Free Bible Version, Dr. Jonathan Gallagher — licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API (eBible.org).

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About this verse

These counts appear in no published source. They are computed here, from the morphology-tagged text and Lemma’s own curated glosses. What Lemma adds →

14
words
12
distinct lemmas
Gospels
section

Notable vocabulary

The rarest word here is ἀληθῶς truly G230 — appearing just 18 times in the whole Greek New Testament.

Shared distinctive vocabulary

ἀληθῶς truly G230 occurs in 18 verses of the Greek New Testament. Also found in:

Repetition

Words recur within this verse:

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Cross-references

11

Topical passages linked to Luke 21:3 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — connected by theme and wording, ordered by reader-vote popularity; previews shown in the World English Bible.

  • 2 Corinthians 8:12 For if the readiness is there, it is acceptable according to what you have, not according to what you don't have.
  • Acts 10:34 Peter opened his mouth and said, "Truly I perceive that God doesn't show favoritism;
  • 2 Corinthians 8:2–3 how that in much proof of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded to the riches of their liberality.
  • Exodus 35:21–29 They came, everyone whose heart stirred him up, and everyone whom his spirit made willing, and brought Yahweh's offering, for the work of the tent of meeting, and for all of its service, and for the holy garments.
  • Mark 12:43–44 He called his disciples to himself, and said to them, "Most assuredly I tell you, this poor widow gave more than all those who are giving into the treasury,
  • Mark 14:8–9 She has done what she could. She has anointed my body beforehand for the burying.
  • Luke 4:25 But truly I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the sky was shut up three years and six months, when a great famine came over all the land.
  • Luke 9:27 But I tell you the truth: There are some of those who stand here, who will in no way taste of death, until they see the Kingdom of God."
  • Luke 12:44 Truly I tell you, that he will set him over all that he has.
  • Acts 4:27 For truly, in this city against your holy servant, Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the people of Israel, were gathered together
  • 2 Corinthians 9:6–7 Remember this: he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly. He who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.

Cross-references courtesy of OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0).

Commentary

Notes on Luke 21:3 from classic Christian and Jewish commentators (each source and its license shown beneath its notes). The classic Christian expositions comment on the surrounding passage and are grouped to its opening verse, so a note may address several verses; the Jewish commentaries on the Tanakh (Rashi and others) are per-verse, so they appear only where the commentator wrote on this verse.

Lemma curates 59 commentaries, every one of them public domain or Creative Commons licensed, each selected and text-cleaned for this edition rather than reprinted as found. About our sources →

Expositor's Greek Testament

ed. W. Robertson Nicoll

Luk 21:3 . εἶπεν : to whom not indicated. The narrator is concerned alone about the saying ἀληθῶς , for Mk.’s Hebrew ἀμὴν , as nearly always. πτωχὴ : Lk. does not avoid this word: the use of the other term in his preliminary narrative is a matter of style. πτωχὴ implies that the widow might have been expected to beg rather than to be giving to the temple treasury.

The Expositor's Greek Testament, edited by W. Robertson Nicoll (1897–1910) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown

And he said--"to His disciples," whom He "called to Him" (Mar 12:43), to teach from it a great future lesson.

more than . . . all--in proportion to her means, which is God's standard (Co2 8:12).

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(3) Of a truth.—St. Luke’s use (according to the better MSS.) of the Greek for “truly,” instead of St. Mark’s “Amen” (so in the Greek), may, perhaps, be noted as characteristic.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne

3. more than they all] because “one coin out of a little is better than a treasure out of much, and it is not considered how much is given, but how much remains behind.” S. Ambrose. See 2Co_8:12. In the Talmud a High Priest is similarly taught by a vision not to despise a poor woman’s offering of meal. The true estimate of human actions, as Godet well observes, is according to their quality, not according to their quantity.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

John Gill's Exposition

And he said,.... To his disciples, as the Ethiopic version adds; these he called to him, upon this occasion, as appears from Mar 12:43

of a truth I say unto you, that this poor woman hath cast in more than they all: than all the rich men; not in quantity, but in proportion to her ability; See Gill on Mar 12:43.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary

Whatever we offer to the Almighty with a good intention is acceptable to him; for he regards not the gift, but the heart of the giver. (Ven. Bede) --- God does not appreciate the smallness of the gift, but the greatness of the affection with which it is offered. (St. John Chrysostom, hom. i. ad Hebræos.)

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

Bengel's Gnomon

Johann Albrecht Bengel

[3. Ἀληθῶς, of a truth, in real fact) Luke very frequently coincides with Mark; but Mark loves Hebrew modes of expression more than Luke does. Luke employs the Greek ἀληθῶς more frequently than the Hebrew ἀμήν. So the rest of the Evangelists are liberal in their employment of the term Rabbi, which Luke never uses. As Paul was the Apostle of the Gentiles; so Luke, the companion of Paul, had especial regard to the Gentiles in his writings.—Harm., p. 474.]

Bengel's Gnomon of the New Testament — English translation (T&T Clark, Edinburgh, 1860) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Cambridge Greek Testament for Schools and Colleges

3. πλεῖον πάντων. Because “one coin out of a little is better than a treasure out of much, and it is not considered how much is given, but how much remains behind.” S. Ambrose. See 2Co 8:12. In the Talmud a High Priest is similarly taught by a vision not to despise a poor woman’s offering of meal.

Cambridge Greek Testament for Schools and Colleges (Cambridge University Press, 1896; 21 vols, various authors incl. Carr, Maclear, Plummer, Farrar, Lumby, Moule, M. R. James, Simcox) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

International Critical Commentary

3. Ἀληθῶς λέγω ὑμῖν. Introduces something contrary to the usual view. Here, as in 9:27 and 12:44, Lk. has ἀληθῶς, where Mk. or Mt. has ἀμήν. πλεῖον πάντων. Non modo proportione geometrica, sed animo, quem spectabat Dominus (Beng.).

For πλεῖον (A B G Δ Λ Π), which is supported by πλεον (א), Tisch. prefers πλείω (D Q X), which is supported by πλείονα (L). Orig. has πλεῖον several times.

International Critical Commentary — older volumes (1896–1929), various authors — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Vincent's Word Studies in the New Testament

Marvin R. Vincent

This poor widow. See on Mr 12:43.

Marvin R. Vincent, Word Studies in the New Testament (1887–1900) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Lesson kit

Teaching starters — assembled from the data on this page, not authored interpretation. Every prompt links to the verse data it draws on. Edit before teaching.

Luke, in the Gospels, opens this verse with 14 words (12 distinct Greek lemmas). Its most distinctive word is alēthōs (“truly”). A historical commentator’s framing appears above. Read the whole chapter for the surrounding context.

Discussion questions

  1. How does “truly” (alēthōs) shape what this verse is saying?
  2. How does Matthew 14:33, which shares the word «truly», read alongside this verse?
  3. What does the repetition of “to say” (2× in this one verse) do in this verse?
  4. These translations render this verse differently. What is at stake in choosing one wording over another?
  5. Compare how Expositor's Greek Testament and Jamieson, Fausset & Brown read this verse. Where do they agree or differ?

Things to notice

  • These translations choose different wording for 6 words in this verse.
  • “to say” occurs 2× in this single verse.
  • 12 distinct Greek lemmas span 14 words in this verse.

Reading settings

Reading text

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Old Testament
Old Testament edition

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