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Luke 14:29

New Testament Gospel ASV (1901)

What does Luke 14:29 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “Lest haply, when he hath laid a foundation, and is not able to finish, all that behold begin to mock him,” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

Lest haply, when he hath laid a foundation, and is not able to finish, all that behold begin to mock him,
Luke 14:29 — American Standard Version

Context — Luke 14

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
26If any man cometh unto me, and hateth not his own father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.
27Whosoever doth not bear his own cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.
28For which of you, desiring to build a tower, doth not first sit down and count the cost, whether he have [wherewith] to complete it?
29Lest haply, when he hath laid a foundation, and is not able to finish, all that behold begin to mock him,
30saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish.
31Or what king, as he goeth to encounter another king in war, will not sit down first and take counsel whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand?
32Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sendeth an ambassage, and asketh conditions of peace.
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What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“Lest haply after he hath laid the foundation, etc.] Has begun to build, has taken up a profession, has submitted to ordinances, and got into a church state: and is not able to finish it; a foundation may be laid, and the building may never be finished, because the foundation is not laid right; was it, it would continue, and the building go on, and at last be finished; though no man is able to finish it of himself, yet those hands which have laid the foundation, will raise up the superstructure, and complete the whole building, through the power and efficacy of divine grace: but where there is a beginning, and which at first looks well, and there is no progress, but the work is dropped and…”
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Barnes' Notes
Albert Barnes (1798–1870) · Notes on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“Haply - Perhaps. To mock him - To ridicule him. To laugh at him. return to 'Top of Page'”
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Related study paths

Read Luke 14 in contextBrowse Greek word studiesOpen this verse in the study reader

Sources and verification