God’s Word Translation
Luke 23:30
30Then people will say to the mountains, ‘Fall on us!’ and to the hills, ‘Cover us!’
Luke 23:30 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Then shall they begin to say to the mountains, Fall on us; and to the hills, Cover us.
- New International Version (NIV)Then “ ‘they will say to the mountains, “Fall on us!” and to the hills, “Cover us!” ’
- English Standard Version (ESV)Then they will begin to say to the mountains, 'Fall on us,' and to the hills, 'Cover us.'
- New King James Version (NKJV)Then they will begin ‘to say to the mountains, “Fall on us!” and to the hills, “Cover us!” ’
Context of Luke 23:30
28Jesus turned to them and said, “You women of Jerusalem, don’t cry for me! Rather, cry for yourselves and your children! 29The time is coming when people will say, ‘Blessed are the women who couldn’t get pregnant, who couldn’t give birth, and who couldn’t nurse a child.’ Then people will say to the mountains, ‘Fall on us!’ and to the hills, ‘Cover us!’ 31If people do this to a green tree, what will happen to a dry one?” 32Two others, who were criminals, were led away to be executed with him.
Read all of Luke 23Luke 23:30 word by word
τότε ἄρξονται λέγειν τοῖς ὄρεσιν· πέσετε ἐφ᾽ ἡμᾶς· καὶ τοῖς βουνοῖς· καλύψατε ἡμᾶς.Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Thenτότεtote · thenG5119
- shall they beginἄρχομαιarchomai · to rule/beginG756
- to sayλέγωlegō · to sayG3004
- to the mountainsὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
- to the mountainsὄροςoros · mountainG3735
- Fallπίπτωpiptō petō · to collapseG4098
- onἐπίepi · upon/to/againstG1909
- usἐγώegō · I/weG1473
- andκαίkai · andG2532
- to the hillsβουνόςbounos · hillG1015
- Coverκαλύπτωkaluptō · to coverG2572
Cross-references for Luke 23:30
- Isaiah 2:19People will go into caves in the rocks and into holes in the ground because of the Lord’s terrifying presence and the honor of his majesty when he rises to terrify the earth.
- Hosea 10:8The illegal worship sites of Aven will be destroyed. Israel sins there. Thorns and weeds will grow over those altars. People will say to the mountains, “Cover us!” and to the hills, “Fall on us!”
- Revelation 6:16They said to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us, and hide us from the face of the one who sits on the throne and from the anger of the lamb,
- Revelation 9:6At that time people will look for death and never find it. They will long to die, but death will escape them.
Commentaries on Luke 23:30
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 30Mountains, fall on us - As this refers to the destruction of Jerusalem, and as the same expressions are used, Revelation 6:16, Dr. Lightfoot conjectures that the whole of that chapter may relate to the same event.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 30To the mountains, Fall on us - This is an image of great calamities and judgments. So great will be the calamities that they will seek for shelter from the storm, and will call on the hills to protect them. The same figure is used respecting the wicked in the day of judgment in Revelation 6:16-17. Compare also Isaiah 2:21.Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 26-31Verses 26-31 We have here the blessed Jesus, the Lamb of God, led as a lamb to the slaughter, to the sacrifice. Though many reproached and reviled him, yet some pitied him. But the death of Christ was his victory and triumph over his enemies: it was our deliverance, the purchase of eternal life for us. Therefore weep not for him, but let us weep for our own sins, and the sins of our children, which caused his death; and weep for fear of the miseries we…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 30‘they will say to the mountains, “Fall on us!”‘: This refers to a time when people would prefer death over the terrible suffering they would face. Jesus warned that Jerusalem would experience such terrible pain and destruction that people would beg for mountains to fall on them to end their suffering quickly.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 27-3127-31. women--not the precious Galilean women (Lu 23:49), but part of the crowd.Read the comment
Topics related to Luke 23:30
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Luke 23
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Catena Aurea
- Illustrated New Testament
- Burkitt’s Expository Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Family Bible Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- John Lightfoot Commentary
- Luther’s Commentary on Selected Bible Passages
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- The People’s New Testament
- Robertson’s Word Pictures
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- The Fourfold Gospel and Commentary on Acts
- Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
God’s Word Translation — © 1995 God’s Word to the Nations Bible Society
Commentaries