the Week of Proper 23 / Ordinary 28
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Green's Literal Translation
Luke 21:23
Bible Study Resources
Concordances:
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During that time it will be hard for women who are pregnant or have small babies, because very bad times will come to this land. God will be angry with these people.
But wo be to them that be with chylde and to them that geve sucke in those dayes: for ther shalbe greate trouble in the londe and wrath over all this people.
Woe to those who are pregnant and to those who nurse infants in those days! For there will be great distress in the land, and wrath to this people.
"How terrible it will be for those women who are pregnant or who are nursing babies in those days! For there will be great distress in the landon earth">[fn] and wrath on this people.Matthew 24:19;">[xr]
"Woe to those women who are pregnant, and to those who are nursing babies in those days; for there will be great distress upon the land, and wrath to this people;
How terrible it will be for women who are pregnant or have nursing babies! Great trouble will come upon this land, and God will be angry with these people.
Woe to those that are pregnant and to those that nurse in those days! for there shall be great distress on the land, and wrath to this people.
But woe to them that are with child, and to them that nurse infants in those days! for there shall be great distress in the land, and wrath upon this people.
"Woe to those women who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! For great trouble and anguish will be on the land, and wrath and retribution on this people [Israel].
Alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! For there will be great distress upon the earth and wrath against this people.
Woe to those who are pregnant and to those who nurse infants in those days! For there will be great distress in the land, and wrath to this people.
But wo to them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days; for there shall be great distress in the land, and wrath on this people.
"Alas for the women who at that time are with child or who have infants; for there will be great distress in the land, and anger towards this People.
And wo to hem, that ben with child, and norischen in tho daies; for a greet diseese schal be on the erthe, and wraththe to this puple.
Woe unto them that are with child and to them that give suck in those days! for there shall be great distress upon the land, and wrath unto this people.
How miserable those days will be for pregnant and nursing mothers. For there will be great distress upon the land and wrath against this people.
It will be an awful time for women who are expecting babies or nursing young children! Everywhere in the land people will suffer horribly and be punished.
Woe unto them that are with child and to them that give suck in those days! for there shall be great distress upon the land, and wrath unto this people.
It will be hard for women who are with child, and for her with a baby at the breast, in those days. For great trouble will come on the land, and wrath on this people.
What a terrible time it will be for pregnant women and nursing mothers! For there will be great distress in the Land and judgment on the people.
But woe to them that are with child and to them who give suck in those days, for there shall be great distress upon the land and wrath upon this people.
But woe to those who are with child and to those who suckle in those days ! for there will be great distress in the land, and wrath upon this people.
But woe to them that are with child, and to them that nurse children, in those days; for then will be great distress in the land, and wrath upon this people.
But woe vnto them that are with childe, and to them that giue sucke in those dayes, for there shalbe great distresse in the land, and wrath vpon this people.
How terrible it will be for pregnant women and for nursing mothers in those days. For there will be disaster in the land and great anger against this people.
"It will be hard for women who will soon be mothers. It will be hard for those feeding babies in those days. It will be very hard for the people in the land and anger will be brought down on them.
Woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing infants in those days! For there will be great distress on the earth and wrath against this people;
But woe be to them that be with childe, and to them that giue sucke in those dayes: for there shalbe great distresse in this land, and wrath ouer this people.
But woe to those who are with child, and to those who give suck in those days! For there will be great distress in the land, and wrath to this people.
Alas! for the women with child, and for them who are giving suck, in those days; for there will be great distress upon the land, and anger against this people.
But woe to them that are with child and give suck in those days: for there shall be great distress in the land and wrath upon this people.
Alas for those who are with child and for those who give suck in those days! For great distress shall be upon the earth and wrath upon this people;
But wo vnto the that are with childe, & to them that geue sucke in those days: For there shalbe great distresse in the lande, and wrath ouer this people.
How terrible it will be in those days for women who are pregnant and for mothers with little babies! Terrible distress will come upon this land, and God's punishment will fall on this people.
Woe to pregnant women and nursing mothers in those days,
But woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck, in those days! for there shall be great distress in the land, and wrath upon this people.
Woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing their babies in those days! For there will be great distress on the earth and wrath against this people,
`And wo to those with child, and to those giving suck, in those days; for there shall be great distress on the land, and wrath on this people;
But wo vnto them that are with childe, and to them that geue sucke in those dayes: for there shalbe greate trouble vpon earth, and wrath ouer this people,
wo to them that are with child, or to them that give suck in those days: for this will be a region of great distress, and wrath will pour down upon this people.
Woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing their babies in those days! For there will be great distress on the earth and wrath against this people.
But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! For there will be great distress in the land and wrath upon this people.
Those are going to be hard days for nursing mothers. The days will be filled with pain and anguish.
"Woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days; for there will be great distress upon the land and wrath to this people;
Woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days; for there will be great distress upon the land and wrath against this people,
Contextual Overview
Bible Verse Review
from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge
woe: Luke 23:29, Deuteronomy 28:56, Deuteronomy 28:57, Lamentations 4:10, Hebrews 9:12-17, Hebrews 13:16, Matthew 24:19, Mark 13:17
great: Luke 19:27, Luke 19:43, Matthew 21:41, Matthew 21:44, 1 Thessalonians 2:16, Hebrews 10:26-31, James 5:1, 1 Peter 4:17
Reciprocal: Numbers 33:56 - General Deuteronomy 28:50 - shall not Deuteronomy 29:28 - rooted them Psalms 40:15 - desolate Proverbs 1:27 - distress Jeremiah 16:2 - General Jeremiah 29:17 - Behold Lamentations 1:12 - if Daniel 12:1 - there shall Hosea 9:14 - what Zephaniah 1:15 - is Zechariah 11:1 - that 1 Corinthians 7:26 - that
Cross-References
Abimelech took sheep and oxen, and male slaves, and slave-girls, and gave to Abraham. And he returned his wife Sarah to him.
And he lived in the wilderness of Paran. And his mother took a wife for him out of the land of Egypt.
And it happened at that time Abimelech and Phicol, the general of his army, spoke to Abraham, saying, God is with you in all that you do.
And now swear to me here by God, that you will not lie to me, and to my son, and to my heir, according to the kindness which I have sworn to you. Do to me and to the land in which you have lived.
And I will cause you to swear by Jehovah, God of the heavens and God of the earth, that you will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanite, among whom I dwell.
And they said, Since we plainly have seen that Jehovah has been with you, and we have said, let there be an oath now between us, between us and you, and let us cut a covenant with you,
And now come, let us cut a covenant, you and me; and let it be a witness between you and me.
The God of Abraham, the God of Nahor, the God of their father, let judge between us. And Jacob swore by the Fear of his father Isaac.
You shall fear Jehovah your God, and you shall serve Him, and you shall swear by His name.
And now, please swear to me by Jehovah, since I have dealt with you in kindness, that you will also deal with my father's house in kindness, and shall give to me a true token;
Gill's Notes on the Bible
But woe unto them that are with-child,....
:-.
For there shall be great distress in the land; of Judea. The Greek word αναγκη, here used, properly signifies "necessity", but here intends afflictions and distress; in which sense it is often used by the Septuagint, as in Psalms 107:6 and it is also by the Targumists adopted into their language, and used in the same sense d: and indeed, the distress was very great, and such a time of tribulation, as was never known since the beginning of the world, nor never will be the like; what with the enemy without, and their seditions and divisions within, the robberies, murders, and famine, which prevailed and abounded, their miseries are not to be expressed:
and wrath upon this people; of the Jews; even the wrath of God, as well as of man, which came upon them to the uttermost; and their own historian observes, that God, who had condemned the people, turned every way of salvation to their destruction e.
d Vid. Targum in Gen xxii. 14. & xxxviii. 25. & Targum Sheni in Esth. v. 1. e Joseph. de Bello Jud. l. 6. c. 15.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible
The account of the destruction of Jerusalem contained in this chapter has been fully considered in the notes at Matthew 24:0. All that will be necessary here will be an explanation of a few words that did not occur in that chapter.
Luke 21:9
Commotions - Insurrections. Subjects rising against their rulers.
Luke 21:11
Fearful sights - See Matthew 24:7.
Luke 21:12, Luke 21:13
Synagogues, and into prisons - See the notes at Mark 13:9-10.
Luke 21:14
Settle it, therefore, in your hearts - Fix it firmly in your minds - so firmly as to become a settled principle - that you are always to depend on God for aid in all your trials. See Mark 13:11.
Luke 21:15
A mouth - Eloquence, ability to speak as the case may demand. Compare Exodus 4:11.
Gainsay - Speak against. They will not be able to “reply” to it, or to “resist” the force of what you shall say.
Luke 21:18
A hair of your head perish - This is a proverbial expression, denoting that they should not suffer any essential injury. This was strikingly fulfilled in the fact that in the calamities of Jerusalem there is reason to believe that no Christian suffered. Before those calamities came on the city they had fled to “Pella,” a city on the east of the Jordan. See the notes at Matthew 24:18.
Luke 21:19
In your patience - Rather by your perseverance. The word “patience” here means constancy or perseverance in sustaining afflictions.
Possess ye your souls - Some read here the “future” instead of the “present” of the verb rendered “possess.” The word “possess” means here to “preserve” or keep, and the word “souls” means “lives.” This passage may be thus translated: By persevering in bearing these trials you “will” save your lives, or you will be safe; or, by persevering “preserve” your lives; that is, do not yield to these calamities, but bear up under them, for he that endureth to the end, the same shall be saved. Compare Matthew 24:13.
Luke 21:22
All things which are written may be fulfilled - Judgment had been threatened by almost all the prophets against that wicked city. They had spoken of its crimes and threatened its ruin. Once God had destroyed Jerusalem and carried the people to Babylon; but their crimes had been repeated when they returned, and God had again threatened their ruin. Particularly was this very destruction foretold by Daniel, Daniel 9:26-27; “And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself; and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.” See the notes at that passage.
Luke 21:24
Shall fall ... - No less than one million one hundred thousand perished in the siege of Jerusalem.
Shall be led away captive - More than 90,000 were led into captivity. See the notes at Matthew 24:0.
Shall be trodden down by the Gentiles - Shall be in possession of the Gentiles, or be subject to them. The expression also implies that it would be an “oppressive” subjection, as when a captive in war is trodden down under the feet of the conqueror. Anciently conquerors “trod on” the necks of those who were subdued by them, Jos 10:24; 2 Samuel 22:41; Ezekiel 21:29. The bondage of Jerusalem has been long and very oppressive. It was for a long time under the dominion of the Romans, then of the Saracens, and is now of the Turks, and is aptly represented by a captive stretched on the ground whose neck is “trodden” by the foot of the conqueror.
Until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled - This passage has been understood very differently by different expositors. Some refer it to the time which the Romans who conquered it had dominion over it, as signifying that “they” should keep possession of it until a part of the pagans should be converged, when it should be rebuilt. Thus it was rebuilt by the Emperor Adrian. Others suppose that it refers to the end of the world, when all the Gentiles shall be converted, and they shall “cease” to be Gentiles by becoming Christians, meaning that it should “always” be desolate. Others, that Christ meant to say that in the times of the millennium, when the gospel should spread universally, he would reign personally on the earth, and that the “Jews” would return and rebuild Jerusalem and the temple. This is the opinion of the Jews and of many Christians. The meaning of the passage clearly is,
- That Jerusalem would be completely destroyed.
- That this would be done by Gentiles - that is, by the Roman armies.
- That this desolation would continue as long as God should judge it proper in a fit manner to express his abhorrence of the crimes of the nation - that is, until the times allotted to “them” by God for this desolation should be accomplished, without specifying how long that would be, or what would occur to the city after that.
It “may” be rebuilt, and inhabited by converted Jews. Such a thing is “possible,” and the Jews naturally seek that as their home; but whether this be so or not, the time when the “Gentiles,” as such, shall have dominion over the city is limited. Like all other cities on the earth, it will yet be brought under the influence of the gospel, and will be inhabited by the true friends of God. Pagan, infidel, anti-Christian dominion shall cease there, and it will be again a place where God will be worshipped in sincerity - a place “even then” of special interest from the recollection of the events which have occurred there. “How long” it is to be before this occurs is known only to Him “who hath put the times and seasons in his own power,” Acts 1:7.
Luke 21:25
See the notes at Matthew 24:29.
Upon the earth distress of nations - Some have proposed to render the word “earth” by “land,” confining it to Judea. It often has this meaning, and there seems some propriety in so using it here. The word translated “distress” denotes anxiety of mind - such an anxiety as people have when they do not know what to do to free themselves from calamities; and it means here that the calamities would be so great and overwhelming that they would not know what to do to escape. There would be a want of counsel, and deep anxiety at the impending evils.
With perplexity - Rather “on account” of their perplexity, or the desperate state of their affairs. The Syriac has it, “perplexity or wringing of hands,” which is a sign of deep distress and horror.
The sea and the waves roaring - This is not to be understood literally, but as an image of great distress. Probably it is designed to denote that these calamities would come upon them like a deluge. As when in a storm the ocean roars, and wave rolls on wave and dashes against the shore, and each succeeding surge is more violent than the one that preceded it, so would the calamities come upon Judea. They would roll over the whole land, and each wave of trouble would be more violent than the one that preceded it, until the whole country would be desolate. The same image is also used in Isaiah 8:7-8, and Revelation 18:15.
Luke 21:26
Men’s hearts failing them - This is an expression denoting the highest terror. The word rendered “failing” commonly denotes to “die,” and here it means that the terror would be so great that people would faint and be ready to die in view of the approaching calamities. And if this was true in respect to the judgments about to come upon Judea, how much more so will it be in the day of judgment, when the wicked will be arraigned before the Son of God, and when they shall have before them the prospect of the awful sufferings of hell - the pains and woes which shall continue forever! It will be no wonder, then, if they call on the rocks and mountains to hide them from the face of God, and if their hearts sink within them at the prospect of eternal suffering.
Luke 21:28
Your redemption draweth nigh - See the notes at Matthew 24:33. This is expressed in Luke 21:31 thus: “the kingdom of God is nigh at hand” - that is, from that time God will signally build up his kingdom. It shall be fully established when the Jewish policy shall come to an end; when the temple shall be destroyed, and the Jews scattered abroad. Then the power of the Jews shall be at an end; they shall no longer be able to persecute you, and you shall be completely delivered from all these trials and calamities in Judea.
Luke 21:34
Lest at any time your hearts be overcharged ... - The meaning of this verse is, “Be continually expecting these things. Do not forget them, and do not be “secure” and satisfied with this life and the good things which it furnishes. Do not suffer yourselves to be drawn into the fashions of the world; to be conformed to its customs; to partake of its feasts and revelry; and so these calamities shall come upon you when you least expect them.” And from this we may learn - what alas! we may from the “lives” of many professing Christians - that there is need of cautioning the disciples of Jesus now that they do not indulge in the festivities of this life, and “forget” that they are to die and come to judgment. How many, alas! who bear the Christian name, have forgotten this caution of the Saviour, and live as if their lives were secure; as if they feared not death; as if there were no heaven and no judgment! Christians should feel that they are soon to die, and that their portion is not in this life; and, feeling this, they should be “looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God.”
Overcharged - Literally, “be made heavy,” as is the case with those who have eaten and drunken too much.
Surfeiting - Excessive eating and drinking, so as to oppress the body; indulgence in the pleasures of the table. This word does not include “intoxication,” but merely indulgence in food and drink, though the food and drink should be in themselves lawful.
Drunkenness - Intoxication, intemperance in drinking. The ancients were not acquainted with the poison that we chiefly use on which to become drunk. They had no distilled spirits. They became intoxicated on wine, and strong drink made of a mixture of dates, honey, etc. All nations have contrived some way to become intoxicated - to bring in folly, and disease, and poverty, and death, by drunkenness; and in nothing is the depravity of men more manifest than in thus endeavoring to hasten the ravages of crime and death.
Luke 21:35
As a snare - In Matthew and Mark Jesus compares the suddenness with which these calamities would come to the deluge coming in the days of Noah. Here he likens it to a snare. Birds are caught by a snare or net. It is sprung on them quickly, and when they are not expecting it. So, says he, shall these troubles come upon Judea. The figure is often used to denote the suddenness of calamities, Psalms 69:22; Romans 11:9; Psalms 124:7; Isaiah 24:17.
Luke 21:36
To stand before the Son of man - These approaching calamities are represented as the “coming of the Son of man” to judge Jerusalem for its crimes. Its inhabitants were so wicked that they were not worthy to stand before him and would be condemned, and the city would be overthrown. To “stand before him” here denotes approbation, acquittal, favor, and is equivalent to saying that “they” would be free from these calamities, while they should come upon others. See Romans 14:4; Psalms 1:5; Psalms 130:3; Revelation 6:17. Perhaps, also, there is a reference here to the day of judgment. See the notes at Matthew 24:0.
