Luke 12:51 (DBY)

Passage

Think ye that I have come to give peace in the earth? Nay, I say to you, but rather division:

Nearby Context

Luke 12:49 I have come to cast a fire on the earth; and what will I if already it has been kindled?

Luke 12:50 But I have a baptism to be baptised with, and how am I straitened until it shall have been accomplished!

Luke 12:51 Think ye that I have come to give peace in the earth? Nay, I say to you, but rather division:

Luke 12:52 for from henceforth there shall be five in one house divided; three shall be divided against two, and two against three:

Luke 12:53 father against son, and son against father; mother against daughter, and daughter against mother; a mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "think", "come", "give", "peace", "earth", "rather", and "division". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "think" and "come", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 50's "But I have a baptism to be..." into verse 52's "for from henceforth there shall be five...", so "think" and "come" belong inside that flow. In Luke context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "think" and "come" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.