Luke 14:9
ESV
and he who invited you both will come and say to you, ‘Give your place to this person,’ and then you will begin with shame to take the lowest place.
NIV
If so, the host who invited both of you will come and say to you, ‘Give this person your seat.’ Then, humiliated, you will have to take the least important place.
NASB
and the one who invited you both will come and say to you, ‘Give your place to this person,’ and then in disgrace you will proceed to occupy the last place.
CSB
The one who invited both of you may come and say to you, ‘Give your place to this man,’ and then in humiliation, you will proceed to take the lowest place.
NLT
The host will come and say, ‘Give this person your seat.’ Then you will be embarrassed, and you will have to take whatever seat is left at the foot of the table!
KJV
And he that bade thee and him come and say to thee, Give this man place; and thou begin with shame to take the lowest room.
NKJV
and he who invited you and him come and say to you, ‘Give place to this man,’ and then you begin with shame to take the lowest place.
What does Luke 14:9 mean?
While preparing to eat at the home of a Pharisee, Jesus notices the other guests choosing where to sit. The guests are dealing with two standards of honor: the seats and their own. The higher their honor in their cultural setting, the nearer the host they should sit. It's a bit of a game, however. Everyone wants to be as close to the host as possible, but they can't overstep. If they get settled and a latecomer with a higher social rank arrives, someone is going to have to move. The shame of being told that you do not deserve the honorable seat you took and must take a lower position would be socially horrifying.Jesus doesn't lend depth to those sorts of human social standards: "God shows no partiality" (Romans 2:11). James will write, "But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors" (James 2:9). Jesus is teaching the guests how to act godly within this broken culture. Jesus is more interested in teaching people to reject social rank and put on a spirit of humble service. In the next parable, He will encourage the host to invite the poor, blind, and injured next time: those who can't pay him back. God's rewards in heaven are far more valuable than earthly reputations (Luke 14:12–14).
