Luke 23:31

Luke 23:31 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)For if they do these things in a green tree, what shall be done in the dry?
• New International Version (NIV)For if people do these things when the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry?”
• English Standard Version (ESV)For if they do these things when the wood is green, what will happen when it is dry?"
• New King James Version (NKJV)For if they do these things in the green wood, what will be done in the dry?”

Context of Luke 23:31

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.’ 30People will beg the mountains, ‘Fall on us,’ and plead with the hills, ‘Bury us.’ For if these things are done when the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry?” 32Two others, both criminals, were led out to be executed with him. 33When they came to a place called The Skull, they nailed him to the cross. And the criminals were also crucified—one on his right and one on his left.

Luke 23:31 word by word

ὅτι εἰ ἐν τῷ ὑγρῷ ξύλῳ ταῦτα ποιοῦσιν, ἐν τῷ ξηρῷ τί γένηται;¶Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• ·ὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• Forὅτιhoti · that/since: sinceG3754
• ifεἰei · ifG1487
• they doποιέωpoieō · to do/make: doG4160
• these thingsοὗτοςhoutos houtoi hautē hautai · this/he/she/itG3778
• inἐνen · in/on/amongG1722
• a greenὑγρόςhugros · moist/greenG5200
• treeξύλονxulon · woodG3586
• whatτίςtis · which?G5101
• shall be doneγίνομαιginomai · to beG1096
• the dryξηρόςxēros · dried up/witheredG3584

Cross-references for Luke 23:31

• Proverbs 11:31If the righteous are rewarded here on earth, what will happen to wicked sinners?
• Jeremiah 25:29I have begun to punish Jerusalem, the city that bears my name. Now should I let you go unpunished? No, you will not escape disaster. I will call for war against all the nations of the earth. I, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, have spoken!’
• Ezekiel 15:2“Son of man, how does a grapevine compare to a tree? Is a vine’s wood as useful as the wood of a tree?
• Ezekiel 20:47Tell the southern wilderness, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Hear the word of the Lord! I will set you on fire, and every tree, both green and dry, will be burned. The terrible flames will not be quenched and will scorch everything from south to north.
• Ezekiel 21:3Tell her, ‘This is what the Lord says: I am your enemy, O Israel, and I am about to unsheath my sword to destroy your people—the righteous and the wicked alike.
• Daniel 9:26“After this period of sixty-two sets of seven, the Anointed One will be killed, appearing to have accomplished nothing, and a ruler will arise whose armies will destroy the city and the Temple. The end will come with a flood, and war and its miseries are decreed from that time to the very end.
• Matthew 3:12He is ready to separate the chaff from the wheat with his winnowing fork. Then he will clean up the threshing area, gathering the wheat into his barn but burning the chaff with never-ending fire.”
• John 15:6Anyone who does not remain in me is thrown away like a useless branch and withers. Such branches are gathered into a pile to be burned.
• Hebrews 6:8But if a field bears thorns and thistles, it is useless. The farmer will soon condemn that field and burn it.
• 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?
• Jude 1:12When these people eat with you in your fellowship meals commemorating the Lord’s love, they are like dangerous reefs that can shipwreck you. They are like shameless shepherds who care only for themselves. They are like clouds blowing over the land without giving any rain. They are like trees in autumn that are doubly dead, for they bear no fruit and have been pulled up by the roots.

Commentaries on Luke 23:31

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 31If they do these things in a green tree - This seems to be a proverbial expression, the sense of which is: If they spare not a tree which, by the beauty of its foliage, abundance and excellence of its fruits, deserves to be preserved, then the tree which is dry and withered will surely be cut down. If an innocent man be put to death in the very face of justice, in opposition to all its dictates and decisions, by a people who profess to be governed and…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 31For if they do these things in a green tree … - This seems to be a proverbial expression. A “green” tree is not easily set on fire; a dry one is easily kindled and burns rapidly; and the meaning of the passage is - “If they, the Romans, do these things to me, who am innocent and blameless; if they punish me in this manner in the face of justice, what will they not do in relation to this guilty nation? What security have they that heavier judgments will…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. 31If the Romans crucified an innocent man while conditions were still calm and stable (while the tree is green), what worse things would happen when rebellion spread through the land (when it is dry)? Jesus used the picture of green wood and dry wood to contrast a peaceful time with a time ready for destruction. During the siege of Jerusalem (AD 66–70), the Romans crucified thousands of Jews outside the city.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 23:31

• Death
• Israel, Prophecies Concerning
• Jesus, the Christ
• Wicked (People)

In the dictionaries

• Certainly
• Commend
• Condemnation
• Crucify
• Gorgeous
• Humiliation of Christ
• Paradise
• Superscription
• Color; Colors
• Jesus Christ

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