What's striking here is that Jesus, speaking as "the Wisdom of God," uses terms like "prophets and apostles." This isn't just about ancient history; "apostles" refers to those He would send out in the New Testament era, revealing that this judgment and pattern of rejection extend beyond the Old Testament prophets to His own followers.
Therefore also the Wisdom of God said, ‘I will send them prophets and apostles, some of whom they will kill and persecute,’ so that the blood of all the prophets, shed from the foundation of the world, may be charged against this generation, from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who perished between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, it will be required of this generation.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Jesus has just been criticizing the religious leaders for their hypocrisy and for upholding the traditions of those who killed the prophets, rather than learning from the prophets themselves. He declares that this generation will be held accountable for all the righteous blood shed since the beginning of creation.
Who is this 'Wisdom of God' speaking in the verse? It's a title that reveals Jesus' divine identity and role.
The phrase 'the Wisdom of God' is a powerful way to understand Jesus.
The verse speaks of sending prophets and apostles, but also of them being killed. What does this reveal about humanity's response to God's messengers?
This verse points to a tragic and persistent pattern in human history: the rejection of God's messengers.
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Understand the original words
sophia tou Theou · Greek Noun
A divine attribute personified in Jewish literature, often associated with God’s plan of salvation and His active intervention in history. In the New Testament, it is often identified with the person and work of Christ.
apostolos · Greek Noun
A messenger or "sent one," specifically referring to those commissioned by Jesus to carry the message of the Gospel with His authority.
haima · Greek Noun
The vital life-force of a living being; in a legal or covenantal context, it often represents the guilt of murder or the consequences of violent death that cries out for justice before God.
katabolē tou kosmou · Greek Noun
The beginning of the created order or the establishment of the world by God. It marks the chronological starting point for God's redemptive history on earth.
genea · Greek Noun
A specific group of people living at the same time, often used in Scripture to describe a collective moral character or a specific historical period experiencing divine judgment due to its rejection of God’s messengers.
haima · Greek Noun
The vital fluid of a living being; in Scripture, it is often associated with the life-principle, life itself, or violent death resulting in murder or sacrifice.
thysiastērion · Greek Noun
A place of sacrifice where the people approach God through the offering of animals; it signifies atonement, consecration, and the holiness of God.
naos · Greek Noun
The inner, sacred part of the temple where God's presence dwelt; it represents the dwelling place of God and the holiness required for those who approach Him.
genea · Greek Noun
A specific group of people existing at a particular point in time, often used in judgment to denote a collective moral state or shared responsibility for rejecting God's messengers.
Jesus is identifying Himself with the 'Wisdom of God,' speaking with divine authority about the ongoing pattern of rejection and persecution that God's messengers have faced throughout Israel's history, culminating in the opposition He and His followers are experiencing.
c. 910 BC
Reign of Ahab and Jezebel
During this period, prophets like Elijah and Elisha faced intense persecution from the idolatrous King Ahab and his foreign wife Jezebel.
c. 750-650 BC
Assyrian and Babylonian Imperialism
The rising powers of Assyria and later Babylon exerted immense pressure on Israel and Judah, leading to deportations and political turmoil, which often coincided with prophetic warnings against national sin.
c. 586 BC
Fall of Jerusalem and Babylonian Exile
The destruction of Jerusalem and the temple by Nebuchadnezzar marked the end of the Southern Kingdom of Judah and the beginning of the Babylonian exile for its people.
c. 440 BC
Post-Exilic Period
After the return from exile, prophets like Haggai and Zechariah continued to call the people back to faithfulness, facing opposition as they sought to rebuild the temple and reform society.
c. 4 BC - c. AD 30— this verse
Ministry of Jesus
During Jesus' earthly ministry, he confronted the religious leaders of his day, the Pharisees and Sadducees, denouncing their hypocrisy and foretelling judgment.
c. AD 30-34
Early Apostolic Ministry
Following Jesus' ascension, the apostles began their ministry, preaching the gospel and facing persecution from the same Jewish authorities who had opposed Jesus.
This passage directly parallels Luke 11:49, with Jesus speaking of sending prophets, wise men, and scribes, and foretelling their persecution and death, highlighting the consistent theme of rejection of God's messengers.
Luke 13:34-35Jesus laments over Jerusalem's rejection of His attempts to gather and protect them, likening Himself to a hen protecting her chicks, which powerfully illustrates the theme of persistent, yet rejected, divine care for a people who ultimately kill their messengers.
2 Chronicles 24:20-22This Old Testament account describes the stoning of Zechariah, the son of Jehoiada the priest, for prophesying against the people's transgressions, serving as a specific historical example of the kind of rejection and violence against prophets that Jesus is referencing.
Acts 7:51-53Stephen's powerful speech directly accuses the religious leaders of continually resisting the Holy Spirit and killing the prophets who foretold the coming of the Righteous One, echoing Jesus' condemnation of their ancestors' actions.
1 Corinthians 1:22-24This passage speaks of the 'wisdom of God' in the person of Christ, who is a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, underscoring the theme that God's chosen messengers, including Christ Himself, are often rejected by human standards.
barnesLuke 11:49: "Therefore also said the wisdom of God, I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they shall slay and persecute:"
The wisdom of God - By the "wisdom of God," here, is undoubtedly meant the Saviour himself. What he immediately says is not written in the Old Testament. Jesus is called "the word of God" John 1:1 , because he is the medium by which God "speaks" or makes his will known. He is called "the wisdom of God," because by him God makes his wisdom known in creation…
calvinLuke 11:47-51: "Woe unto you! for ye build the sepulchres of the prophets, and your fathers killed them."
- Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you build the sepulchers of the prophets and embellish the monuments of the righteous, 30. And say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been their associates in the blood of the prophets. 31. Thus you testify against yourselves, that you are the children of those who killed the prophets. 32. Do you also fill up t…
What's striking here is that Jesus, speaking as "the Wisdom of God," uses terms like "prophets and apostles." This isn't just about ancient history; "apostles" refers to those He would send out in the New Testament era, revealing that this judgment and pattern of rejection extend beyond the Old Testament prophets to His own followers.
Jesus has just been criticizing the religious leaders for their hypocrisy and for upholding the traditions of those who killed the prophets, rather than learning from the prophets themselves. He declares that this generation will be held accountable for all the righteous blood shed since the beginning of creation.
Jesus has just been criticizing the religious leaders for their hypocrisy and for upholding the traditions of those who killed the prophets, rather than learning from the prophets themselves. He declares that this generation will be held accountable for all the righteous blood shed since the beginning of creation.
"Therefore also the Wisdom of God said, ‘I will send them prophets and apostles, some of whom they will kill and persecute,’ so that the blood of all the prophets, shed from the foundation of the world, may be charged against this generatio…" — What's striking here is that Jesus, speaking as "the Wisdom of God," uses terms like "prophets and apostles." This isn't just about ancient history; "apostles" refers to those He would send out in th…
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Last reviewed October 2026
