Luke 9:58Jesus said to him, "The foxes have holes, and the birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head."
The setting
Somewhere in Galilee or Judea, ~29 AD. Jesus walking with disciples, crowds following. A man approaches eager to follow but hasn't counted the cost...
The emotion here: compassionately warning about the cost of discipleship
The original word
kataklithe (κατακλίνῃ) — to lie down, recline for rest or sleep
Why it matters
Foxes in Palestine dig burrows in hillsides, and birds build in olive and fig trees that were everywhere
Read with care
What most readers miss in Luke 9:58
This isn't about poverty — it's about purposeful homelessness for mission
Common misconceptionPeople think this is about Jesus being poor, but it's about Jesus choosing mobility over security to reach more people with the gospel.
Bible Genome reading
Luke 9:58 — Bible Genome reading
Emotional genome
Luke 9:58 comes from the book of Luke, written during the gospel period. These words are attributed to Jesus. The dominant emotion in this verse is deciding, with a comfort power of 20% and a tone that is commanding. It belongs to the narrative genre of biblical literature. Key themes include sacrifice, homelessness. Notable phrases: foxes have holes; no place to lay his head.
Emotionally similar
Verses that meet the same deciding
“"You shall have no other gods before me.”
— Deuteronomy 5:7
“"You shall not murder.”
— Exodus 20:13
“Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”
— Matthew 23:12
“For God didn't give us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and self-control.”
— 2 Timothy 1:7
“But Peter said, "Silver and gold have I none, but what I have, that I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, get up and walk!"”
— Acts 3:6
Your reflection
What does Luke 9:58 mean to you, today?
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