And there followed him a great multitude of the people and of women who were mourning and lamenting for him.
English Standard Version (ESV)
While many focused on Jesus' condemnation, Luke highlights that even amidst the jeering crowd, a significant number of people, particularly women, followed, mourning and lamenting for him. This detail underscores the profound sorrow and public grief accompanying Jesus' execution, revealing a deep sense of loss felt by many who recognized his significance.
And there followed him a great multitude of the people and of women who were mourning and lamenting for him.
English Standard Version (ESV)
As Jesus is led away from Pilate's judgment seat, stripped and mocked, a procession begins to form behind him. It's a mix of the curious and the compassionate, including a group of women who express their deep sorrow through wailing and lamenting. This immediate scene contrasts sharply with the hostile crowd and religious leaders who demanded Jesus' crucifixion, highlighting a flicker of sympathy amidst the public condemnation.
As Jesus is led to crucifixion, the scene is one of condemnation and shame. Yet, a significant group follows, not with jeers, but with deep sorrow.
Amidst the hostility and the soldiers' grim procession, Luke highlights a multitude, particularly women, who are 'mourning and lamenting.' This detail is crucial.
A Glimmer of Hope
It's easy to see this as just a sad crowd, but remember the context. The religious leaders and the crowds had largely turned against Jesus. His own disciples had scattered. In this moment of extreme abandonment, Luke points out that there were still people who remembered Jesus, who were moved by His suffering, and who couldn't stay silent.
Genuine Affection Amidst Condemnation
These aren't just onlookers; they are 'mourning and lamenting.' The original language suggests a deep, almost physical expression of grief, like beating one's breast. This wasn't a quiet, polite sorrow. It was a public, heartfelt outpouring of pain over the unjust suffering of Jesus. It reveals that His impact reached far beyond those who understood His mission fully.
When Jesus notices the women weeping for Him, His response isn't to accept their pity, but to redirect their sorrow toward a more profound need.
Jesus, even as He is being led to execution, is keenly aware of those around Him. He sees the women's grief and speaks to them directly:
A Stern Warning, Not Rejection
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Jesus doesn't tell them not to grieve, but what they should grieve for. He says, 'Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children.' This is a powerful redirection.
The Greater Calamity
He's not dismissing their empathy. Their sorrow for Him shows they recognize the injustice. But Jesus sees a far greater tragedy unfolding – the impending destruction of Jerusalem and the judgment that will fall upon the nation for rejecting Him. He's saying, 'My suffering is significant, but the consequences of your nation's rebellion will be far more devastating.' This highlights the immense weight of sin and its ultimate outcome.
A Call to Repentance
By shifting their focus from His temporary suffering to their future judgment, Jesus calls them to a deeper repentance. He’s urging them to mourn not just for His present pain, but for the spiritual blindness that leads to such catastrophic future events. It’s a plea for them to see the true spiritual danger they are in.
Understand the original words
plēthos · Greek Noun
A large crowd or throng; in the Gospels, often representing those who are witnesses to Jesus’ ministry or suffering, sometimes fickle in their allegiances.
koptomai · Greek Verb
To express grief, usually through outward, audible wailing or mourning; often associated with funerals or deep distress.
thrēneō · Greek Verb
To beat one's breast or wail in extreme grief; a common cultural expression of intense sorrow or funeral lamentation in the ancient Near East.
The sorrow of these women highlights a stark contrast: while the religious and political elite condemned Jesus, ordinary people still grieved for him, showing that Jesus' impact extended beyond the powerful figures who orchestrated his death.
c. AD 27-30
Jesus' Ministry and Growing Conflict
Jesus' public ministry, miracles, and teachings gain a large following but also provoke increasing hostility from religious and political leaders.
c. AD 30, Passover Week
Jesus' Triumphal Entry and Temple Cleansing
Jesus enters Jerusalem triumphantly, then disrupts the Temple, further escalating tensions with authorities who seek to arrest him.
c. AD 30, Passover Week
The Last Supper and Gethsemane Arrest
Jesus shares a final meal with his disciples, is betrayed by Judas, and arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane.
c. AD 30, Passover Week
Trials Before Jewish and Roman Authorities
Jesus is tried by the Sanhedrin, then by Pontius Pilate and Herod Antipas, ultimately being condemned to crucifixion.
c. AD 30, Passover Week
Pilate's Acquiescence and Scourging
Despite finding no guilt in Jesus, Pilate yields to the crowd's demand for crucifixion, ordering Jesus to be scourged.
c. AD 30, Passover Week— this verse
The Crucifixion Procession Begins
Jesus, weakened and mocked by soldiers, is led out of the city towards Golgotha, compelled to carry his cross, with a crowd following.
This passage foretells the suffering servant, describing him as 'despised and rejected by men,' which directly parallels the crowd's rejection of Jesus and the sorrowful procession described in Luke.
Lamentations 1:12The prophet's cry, 'Is it nothing to you, all you who pass by?', resonates with the indifference of many onlookers compared to the profound grief of the women mourning Jesus' suffering.
Zechariah 12:10This prophecy speaks of a future mourning 'as one mourns for an only son,' foreshadowing the deep sorrow and lamentation that would surround the death of God's unique Son.
Luke 23:28-31Jesus' own words to the weeping women, telling them to weep for themselves and their children, highlight the far greater judgment to come upon Jerusalem, placing their current grief in a larger, prophetic context.
calvinLuke 23:24-32: "And Pilate gave sentence that it should be as they required."
- But Pilate, perceiving that he gained nothing by it, but that the tumult became the greater, took water, and washed his hands before the people, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this righteous man: see you to it. 25. And the whole people, answering, said, His blood be on us and on our children. 26. Then he released to them Barabbas, and after having scourged Jesus, he delivered him up to be crucified. 27. The…
clarkeLuke 23:27: "And there followed him a great company of people, and of women, which also bewailed and lamented him."
Bewailed and lamented him - Εκοπτοντο, Beat their breasts. See on Matthew 11:17 (note).
While many focused on Jesus' condemnation, Luke highlights that even amidst the jeering crowd, a significant number of people, particularly women, followed, mourning and lamenting for him. This detail underscores the profound sorrow and public grief accompanying Jesus' execution, revealing a deep sense of loss felt by many who recognized his significance.
As Jesus is led away from Pilate's judgment seat, stripped and mocked, a procession begins to form behind him. It's a mix of the curious and the compassionate, including a group of women who express their deep sorrow through wailing and lamenting. This immediate scene contrasts sharply with the hostile crowd and religious leaders who demanded Jesus' crucifixion, highlighting a flicker of sympathy amidst the public condemnation.
As Jesus is led away from Pilate's judgment seat, stripped and mocked, a procession begins to form behind him. It's a mix of the curious and the compassionate, including a group of women who express their deep sorrow through wailing and lamenting. This immediate scene contrasts sharply with the hostile crowd and religious leaders who demanded Jesus' crucifixion, highlighting a flicker of sympathy amidst the public condemnation.
"And there followed him a great multitude of the people and of women who were mourning and lamenting for him." — While many focused on Jesus' condemnation, Luke highlights that even amidst the jeering crowd, a significant number of people, particularly women, followed, mourning and lamenting for him. This det…
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Last reviewed October 2026