And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.

LUKE 10:31KJV
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Luke 10:31 (KJV)

What does Luke 10:31 mean?

Luke 10:31 describes a priest who encounters an injured man during a journey. The priest sees the man but continues on the opposite side of the road, leaving him where he is. The verse places the priest’s response in clear view: he notices the man’s need yet moves away.

Jesus is telling this story to a man who has asked, “Who is my neighbour?” After robbers have left the traveler half dead, the priest becomes the first passerby mentioned. A priest was someone who served in the Jewish temple, so the first hearers would have recognized him as a person with a religious role.

The Greek behind Luke 10:31

  • “by chance” — συγκυρία (synkyria): The word carries the sense of something happening by coincidence. The phrase presents the priest’s arrival as an encounter during his journey.
  • “down” — καταβαίνω (katabainō): This word means to go down or descend. It fits the road in the story, which leads from Jerusalem down toward Jericho (Luke 10:30).
  • “side” — ἀντιπαρέρχομαι (antiparerchomai): The Greek carries the sense of passing by on the opposite side. It gives a picture of the priest putting distance between himself and the injured man as he continues.

Why Luke 10:31 matters

  • Seeing the injured man is part of the story’s contrast. Jesus says the priest “saw him,” and later says that the Samaritan also saw him before helping him (Luke 10:33–34).
  • The priest’s role makes the later comparison more pointed. Jesus includes both a priest and a Levite, another person associated with temple service, before introducing the Samaritan (Luke 10:32–33). The story’s movement directs attention to how each traveler responds to the injured man.

Where else these words appear

“side” Greek G492 · used in 2 verses

  • Luke 10:32 And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side.

“priest” Greek G2409 · used in 30 verses

  • Matthew 8:4 And Jesus saith unto him, See thou tell no man; but go thy way, shew thyself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them.
  • John 1:19 And this is the record of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, Who art thou?
  • Hebrews 7:17 For he testifieth, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.

“down” Greek G2597 · used in 80 verses

  • Matthew 3:16 And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him:
  • Luke 22:44 And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.
  • Acts 10:21 Then Peter went down to the men which were sent unto him from Cornelius; and said, Behold, I am he whom ye seek: what is the cause wherefore ye are come?

“way” Greek G3598 · used in 99 verses

  • Matthew 2:12 And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way.
  • Mark 10:32 And they were in the way going up to Jerusalem; and Jesus went before them: and they were amazed; and as they followed, they were afraid. And he took again the twelve, and began to tell them what things should happen unto him,
  • Acts 9:2 And desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem.