Luke 12:56 (DBY)

Passage

Hypocrites, ye know how to judge of the appearance of the earth and of the heaven; how [is it then that] ye do not discern this time?

Nearby Context

Luke 12:54 And he said also to the crowds, When ye see a cloud rising out of the west, straightway ye say, A shower is coming; and so it happens.

Luke 12:55 And when [ye see] the south wind blow, ye say, There will be heat; and it happens.

Luke 12:56 Hypocrites, ye know how to judge of the appearance of the earth and of the heaven; how [is it then that] ye do not discern this time?

Luke 12:57 And why even of yourselves judge ye not what is right?

Luke 12:58 For as thou goest with thine adverse party before a magistrate, strive in the way to be reconciled with him, lest he drag thee away to the judge, and the judge shall deliver thee to the officer, and the officer cast thee into prison.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "hypocrites", "judge", "appearance", "earth", "heaven", "discern", and "time". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "hypocrites" and "judge", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 55's "And when ye see the south wind..." into verse 57's "And why even of yourselves judge ye...", so "hypocrites" and "judge" 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 "hypocrites" and "judge" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.