Behold, your house is forsaken. And I tell you, you will not see me until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!’”
English Standard Version (ESV)
Jesus declares their "house" – understood by many as the Temple or the Jewish nation itself – is no longer His, but theirs to keep, soon to be empty. He then pronounces a stark prophetic judgment: they won't see Him again until they cry out the very welcome that greeted Him on His triumphal entry, a future acknowledgment of His true identity.
Behold, your house is forsaken. And I tell you, you will not see me until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!’”
English Standard Version (ESV)
Jesus is responding to the Pharisees' warning that Herod wants to kill him. He calls Herod a fox, showing he knows his intentions and isn't afraid, then laments over Jerusalem, predicting its destruction because it rejected him. This verse marks the culmination of his sorrow, declaring that their temple and city will be abandoned by God, and they won't see him again until they finally recognize him as the Messiah.
Jesus declares a devastating judgment on Jerusalem and its Temple. What does it mean for God to 'forsake' His dwelling place?
The Abandonment of God's Dwelling
Jesus looks at Jerusalem and the magnificent Temple, the center of Israel's worship and national identity, and declares: "Behold, your house is left unto you desolate."
Jesus links seeing Him again with a specific declaration. What does this future confession reveal about His identity and Israel's ultimate destiny?
A Future Confession of Messiahship
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Jesus doesn't leave His hearers with only a message of doom. He adds a condition for when they will "see" Him again: "until the time come when ye shall say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!’"
Understand the original words
aphiēmi · Greek Verb
To be left behind or abandoned, often used in a theological sense to describe the removal of God's presence, blessing, or protection from a place or people due to persistent disobedience.
eulogēmenos · Greek Adjective
A declaration of praise and honor directed toward God or one sent by Him. In a messianic context, it expresses recognition of the Lord's Anointed.
This verse sits at the intersection of Jesus' prophetic warnings about Jerusalem's impending doom and the eventual, future restoration and recognition of the Messiah by the Jewish people.
c. AD 27-30— this verse
Jesus' Ministry in Galilee
Jesus publicly teaches and performs miracles throughout Galilee. During this time, he makes pronouncements about the coming judgment on Jerusalem and its temple.
c. AD 30
Jesus' Journey to Jerusalem
Jesus begins His final journey towards Jerusalem, a significant event that leads directly to His crucifixion and the pronouncements recorded in this passage.
c. AD 30
Jesus' Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem
Jesus enters Jerusalem on a donkey, and the crowds acclaim Him with shouts of 'Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!' This event is seen by some as a partial fulfillment of Jesus' words.
AD 70
Destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple
The Roman army under Titus besieges and destroys Jerusalem and its Second Temple, fulfilling Jesus' prophecies about the desolation of the city and its religious center.
Late 1st - Early 2nd century AD
Composition of the Gospels
The Gospels of Luke and Matthew are written, recording Jesus' words and prophecies about Jerusalem's destruction and the future restoration of Israel.
This passage directly parallels Jesus' statement in Luke, declaring 'your house is left to you desolate,' emphasizing the imminent judgment on Jerusalem and its Temple.
Psalm 118:26This verse is quoted by the crowds during Jesus' triumphal entry, directly fulfilling the condition Jesus states in Luke 13:35 for when they would finally acknowledge Him.
Zechariah 12:10This prophecy speaks of a future time when the people of Israel will look on the one they have pierced and mourn, a future acknowledgment of the Messiah that echoes Jesus' words in Luke.
John 16:16Jesus speaks to His disciples about seeing Him again after a short time, and then not seeing Him, which, while different in context, shares the theme of a period of absence followed by a new recognition.
Romans 11:26This passage describes a future salvation for Israel, where 'all Israel will be saved,' aligning with the idea that a remnant or future generation of Jews will eventually acknowledge Jesus as the Messiah.
gillLuke 13:35: "Behold, your house is left unto you desolate: and verily I say unto you, Ye shall not see me, until the time come when ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord."
Behold, your house is left unto you desolate,.... That is, would be in a little time, both city and temple; See Gill on Matthew 23:38 . and verily I say unto you; affirm in the strongest manner: ye shall not see me; the Arabic version adds, "from henceforth", and so some copies, as in Matthew 23:39 a…
bengelLuke 13:35: "Behold, your house is left unto you desolate: and verily I say unto you, Ye shall not see me, until the time come when ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord."
Luke 13:35 . Ἰδοὺ ἀφίεται ὑμῖν ὁ οἶκος ὑμῶν ) Many have added ἔρημος from Matthew.[137] In Luke the Saviour is represented as having said these words in Galilee: nor did He subsequently afford the people of Jerusalem the opportunity of seeing Him, until, after the resurrection of Lazarus, at His own…
Jesus declares their "house" – understood by many as the Temple or the Jewish nation itself – is no longer His, but theirs to keep, soon to be empty. He then pronounces a stark prophetic judgment: they won't see Him again until they cry out the very welcome that greeted Him on His triumphal entry, a future acknowledgment of His true identity.
Jesus is responding to the Pharisees' warning that Herod wants to kill him. He calls Herod a fox, showing he knows his intentions and isn't afraid, then laments over Jerusalem, predicting its destruction because it rejected him. This verse marks the culmination of his sorrow, declaring that their temple and city will be abandoned by God, and they won't see him again until they finally recognize him as the Messiah.
Jesus is responding to the Pharisees' warning that Herod wants to kill him. He calls Herod a fox, showing he knows his intentions and isn't afraid, then laments over Jerusalem, predicting its destruction because it rejected him. This verse marks the culmination of his sorrow, declaring that their temple and city will be abandoned by God, and they won't see him again until they finally recognize him as the Messiah.
"Behold, your house is forsaken. And I tell you, you will not see me until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!’”" — Jesus declares their "house" – understood by many as the Temple or the Jewish nation itself – is no longer His, but theirs to keep, soon to be empty. He then pronounces a stark prophetic judgment: th…
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Last reviewed October 2026