And he spake a parable unto them, Can the blind lead the blind? shall they not both fall into the ditch?

LUKE 6:39KJV
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Luke 6:39 (KJV)

What does Luke 6:39 mean?

Luke 6:39 warns that a person who cannot see the way is not fit to guide someone else. Jesus uses the picture of two blind people to show that a guide’s lack of sight puts both the guide and the person following in danger.

Jesus speaks to his disciples in a parable, a short illustration drawn from an ordinary scene. His two questions invite the listeners to picture a journey ending in a ditch. The expected answer to the second question is yes: both are in danger of falling.

The Greek behind Luke 6:39

  • “parable” — παραβολή (parabolē): This word can mean a comparison or an illustrative story. Here it introduces a brief picture rather than a long story with named characters.
  • “ditch” — βόθυνος (bothynos): This word carries the sense of a pit or hole in the ground. The danger Jesus pictures is an obstacle that the travelers fail to see.

Why Luke 6:39 matters

  • The picture turns toward teaching in the next verse. Luke 6:40 speaks of a “disciple,” or learner, and a “master,” or teacher, placing the guide-and-follower image alongside the relationship between a teacher and a student.
  • The passage also connects sight with judging another person. In Luke 6:41–42, Jesus speaks of noticing a small piece of material in another person’s eye while having a larger piece in one’s own eye. That nearby image helps explain why clear sight matters in the comparison.

Where else these words appear

“ditch” Greek G999 · used in 3 verses

  • Matthew 12:11 And he said unto them, What man shall there be among you, that shall have one sheep, and if it fall into a pit on the sabbath day, will he not lay hold on it, and lift it out?
  • Matthew 15:14 Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.

“lead” Greek G3594 · used in 5 verses

  • Matthew 15:14 Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.
  • John 16:13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.
  • Acts 8:31 And he said, How can I, except some man should guide me? And he desired Philip that he would come up and sit with him.

“them” Greek G3385 · used in 14 verses

  • Matthew 7:16 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?
  • Mark 4:21 And he said unto them, Is a candle brought to be put under a bushel, or under a bed? and not to be set on a candlestick?
  • John 8:22 Then said the Jews, Will he kill himself? because he saith, Whither I go, ye cannot come.

“they” Greek G297 · used in 14 verses

  • Matthew 9:17 Neither do men put new wine into old bottles: else the bottles break, and the wine runneth out, and the bottles perish: but they put new wine into new bottles, and both are preserved.
  • Luke 1:7 And they had no child, because that Elisabeth was barren, and they both were now well stricken in years.
  • Acts 8:38 And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him.