Luke 21:23

Luke 21:23 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)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.
• New International Version (NIV)How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! There will be great distress in the land and wrath against this people.
• English Standard Version (ESV)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.
• New King James Version (NKJV)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.

Context of Luke 21:23

21Then those in Judea must flee to the hills. Those in Jerusalem must get out, and those out in the country should not return to the city. 22For those will be days of God’s vengeance, and the prophetic words of the Scriptures will be fulfilled. 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. 24They will be killed by the sword or sent away as captives to all the nations of the world. And Jerusalem will be trampled down by the Gentiles until the period of the Gentiles comes to an end. 25“And there will be strange signs in the sun, moon, and stars. And here on earth the nations will be in turmoil, perplexed by the roaring seas and strange tides.

Luke 21:23 word by word

Οὐαὶ ταῖς ἐν γαστρὶ ἐχούσαις καὶ ταῖς θηλαζούσαις ἐν ἐκείναις ταῖς ἡμέραις· ἔσται γὰρ ἀνάγκη μεγάλη ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς καὶ ὀργὴ τῷ λαῷ τούτῳ,Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Butδέde · thenG1161
• woeοὐαίouai · woe!G3759
• unto themὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• that areἔχωechō · to have/beG2192
• withἐνen · in/on/amongG1722
• childγαστήρgastēr · bellyG1064
• andκαίkai · andG2532
• give suckθηλάζωthēlazō · to suckleG2337
• thoseἐκεῖνοςekeinos · thatG1565
• daysἡμέραhēmera · dayG2250
• forγάρgar · forG1063
• there shall beεἰμίeimi · to beG1510
• greatμέγαςmegas · greatG3173
• distressἀνάγκηanagkē · necessityG318
• inἐπίepi · upon/to/againstG1909
• the landγῆgē · earth: planetG1093
• wrathὀργήorgē · wrathG3709
• thisοὗτοςhoutos houtoi hautē hautai · this/he/she/itG3778
• peopleλαόςlaos · a peopleG2992

Cross-references for Luke 21:23

• Luke 23:29For the days are coming when they will say, ‘Fortunate indeed are the women who are childless, the wombs that have not borne a child and the breasts that have never nursed.’
• Deuteronomy 28:56The most tender and delicate woman among you—so delicate she would not so much as touch the ground with her foot—will be selfish toward the husband she loves and toward her own son or daughter.
• Lamentations 4:10Tenderhearted women have cooked their own children. They have eaten them to survive the siege.
• Hebrews 9:12With his own blood—not the blood of goats and calves—he entered the Most Holy Place once for all time and secured our redemption forever.
• Hebrews 13:16And don’t forget to do good and to share with those in need. These are the sacrifices that please God.
• Matthew 24:19How terrible it will be for pregnant women and for nursing mothers in those days.
• Mark 13:17How terrible it will be for pregnant women and for nursing mothers in those days.
• Luke 19:27And as for these enemies of mine who didn’t want me to be their king—bring them in and execute them right here in front of me.’”
• Matthew 21:41The religious leaders replied, “He will put the wicked men to a horrible death and lease the vineyard to others who will give him his share of the crop after each harvest.”
• 1 Thessalonians 2:16as they try to keep us from preaching the Good News of salvation to the Gentiles. By doing this, they continue to pile up their sins. But the anger of God has caught up with them at last.
• Hebrews 10:26Dear friends, if we deliberately continue sinning after we have received knowledge of the truth, there is no longer any sacrifice that will cover these sins.
• James 5:1Look here, you rich people: Weep and groan with anguish because of all the terrible troubles ahead of you.
• 1 Peter 4:17For the time has come for judgment, and it must begin with God’s household. And if judgment begins with us, what terrible fate awaits those who have never obeyed God’s Good News?

Commentaries on Luke 21:23

• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 7-36Verses 7-36 The account of the destruction of Jerusalem contained in this chapter has been fully considered in the notes at 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…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 5-28Verses 5-28 With much curiosity those about Christ ask as to the time when the great desolation should be. He answers with clearness and fulness, as far as was necessary to teach them their duty; for all knowledge is desirable as far as it is in order to practice. Though spiritual judgements are the most common in gospel times, yet God makes use of temporal judgments also. Christ tells them what hard things they should suffer for his name's sake, and…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 20-24Jesus was describing the siege and destruction of Jerusalem that would take place in AD 70.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2323. woe unto--"alas for." with child, &c.--from the greater suffering it would involve; as also "flight in winter, and on the sabbath," which they were to "pray" against (Mt 24:20), the one as more trying to the body, the other to the soul. "For then shall be tribulation such as was not since the beginning of the world, nor ever shall be"--language not unusual in the Old Testament for tremendous calamities, though of this it may perhaps be literally said…Read the comment

Topics related to Luke 21:23

• Israel, Prophecies Concerning
• Jerusalem
• Jesus Continued
• Jesus, the Christ
• War
• Watchfulness

In the dictionaries

• Abundance
• Commotion
• Distress
• Gainsay
• Gospels
• Lift
• Look
• Mouth
• Surfeiting
• Terrify

Commentaries on Luke 21

• 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