Luke 23:29
For behold, the days are coming when they will say, ‘Blessed are the barren and the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed!’
English Standard Version (ESV)
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Jesus redirects the weeping women, not from pity for himself, but for the unimaginable future horrors that will make childless women seem fortunate. This reveals that the deepest sorrow he foresees is not his own death, but the devastating destruction of Jerusalem, where having children would only amplify the agony.
As Jesus is led away to be crucified, a crowd follows, including women who are weeping for him. Jesus turns to them and tells them not to weep for him, but for themselves and their children, predicting a future time of devastation for Jerusalem. He warns that this coming destruction will be so terrible that people will wish they had never been born or had children, seeing childlessness as a blessing compared to the horrors they will face.
Jesus turns the women's pity back on them with a chilling prophecy. What future event is he pointing to, and why is it worse than his current suffering?
Jesus is speaking to the women of Jerusalem who are weeping for him as he is led away to be crucified.
A Future Calamity
While Jesus' crucifixion is a horrific event, he foretells an even greater calamity that will befall Jerusalem. The "days are coming" refers to the future destruction of the city and the immense suffering that will accompany it. This foreshadows the Roman siege and destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD.
Reversal of Blessings
In ancient Israelite culture, having children was seen as a sign of God's blessing. To say "Blessed are the barren" is a shocking reversal. It means the suffering will be so intense that not having children will be considered a blessing. Mothers would face unimaginable horrors, including starvation so severe that they would resort to cannibalism, as historical accounts suggest.
This future judgment is far more devastating than what Jesus himself is enduring.
Jesus uses a vivid metaphor to explain why judgment is coming. What does the 'green tree' represent, and why is the fate of the 'dry tree' so much worse?
Jesus’ statement, "If they do these things in the green tree, what will happen in the dry?" is a powerful analogy for the impending judgment.
The Green Tree
The "green tree" represents Jesus. He is full of life, innocent, and connected to God. Yet, even this "green" and living one suffers unimaginably at the hands of wicked men and divine judgment for the sins of the world.
The Dry Tree
The "dry tree" represents the wicked, particularly the people of Jerusalem who have rejected God and are ripe for judgment. Unlike the green tree, they are spiritually dead, corrupt, and have no life-giving connection to God. They are fully exposed to God's wrath without any mitigating factor.
Understand the original words
steira · Greek Adjective
In a biblical context, it refers to a woman unable to conceive; throughout Scripture, barrenness was often seen as a source of social shame, making the reversal of this sentiment in judgment particularly shocking.
idou · Greek Interjection
A prophetic declaration of impending disaster or divine judgment; often used in the OT to describe the 'Day of the Lord' and echoed here by Jesus to signal the destruction of Jerusalem.
Jesus' words predict a future so devastating that barrenness would be seen as a blessing, a stark contrast to the cultural value placed on motherhood. This prophecy found its most tragic fulfillment during the sieges of Jerusalem, where famine drove women to extreme acts, highlighting the horrific judgment that befell the city.
c. 70 BC - 5 BC
Jewish Expectation of a Messiah
Centuries of Roman occupation and perceived divine abandonment fueled a fervent hope for a Messiah who would liberate Israel and usher in a new kingdom.
c. AD 27-30
Jesus' Ministry and Teachings
Jesus preached, healed, and gathered followers, proclaiming the arrival of God's kingdom but also warning of impending judgment.
c. AD 30-33— this verse
Jesus' Trial and Crucifixion
After his arrest, Jesus was tried by Jewish leaders and Pontius Pilate, ultimately condemned to death and crucified.
c. AD 30-70
Early Christian Preaching
The disciples began spreading the message of Jesus' resurrection and the hope of salvation, while also echoing Jesus' warnings of judgment.
This passage describes the terrifying consequences of disobedience, including a dire warning that women will be driven to eat their own children due to extreme famine, directly echoing the reversal of natural blessings Jesus speaks of.
Hosea 9:12Here, the prophet speaks of a future judgment where children will be denied to Israel, and foretells a curse on fertility, resonating with Jesus' prophecy of a time when barrenness will be seen as a blessing due to impending destruction.
Jeremiah 19:9This prophecy details God's judgment on Jerusalem, where the inhabitants will eat the flesh of their sons and daughters in the siege, a grim foreshadowing of the extreme suffering that would make childlessness a perceived blessing.
Luke 11:27In this earlier encounter, Jesus is called 'blessed' by a woman based on her barrenness, but he redirects her to a higher blessing: hearing and keeping God's word. This verse provides a stark contrast to the curse-like 'blessing' in Luke 23:29, highlighting a dramatic shift in circumstances.
Matthew 27:25The people's cry, 'His blood be on us and on our children!' represents a self-inflicted curse that would bring about the very destruction Jesus forewarns, making their offspring subjects of the terrible judgment he describes.
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…
ellicottLuke 23:29: "For, behold, the days are coming, in the which they shall say, Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bare, and the paps which never gave suck."
(29) Blessed are the barren. —We must enter into all the passionate desire of Israelite women for offspring, as we see it, e.g., in Rachel ( Genesis 30:1 ) and in Hannah ( 1Samuel 1:10-11 ), in order to estimate the strangeness of such a beatitude. With some of those who heard it, its force may have been emphasised by its contras…
Jesus redirects the weeping women, not from pity for himself, but for the unimaginable future horrors that will make childless women seem fortunate. This reveals that the deepest sorrow he foresees is not his own death, but the devastating destruction of Jerusalem, where having children would only amplify the agony.
As Jesus is led away to be crucified, a crowd follows, including women who are weeping for him. Jesus turns to them and tells them not to weep for him, but for themselves and their children, predicting a future time of devastation for Jerusalem. He warns that this coming destruction will be so terrible that people will wish they had never been born or had children, seeing childlessness as a blessing compared to the horrors they will face.
As Jesus is led away to be crucified, a crowd follows, including women who are weeping for him. Jesus turns to them and tells them not to weep for him, but for themselves and their children, predicting a future time of devastation for Jerusalem. He warns that this coming destruction will be so terrible that people will wish they had never been born or had children, seeing childlessness as a blessing compared to the horrors they will face.
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Divine Justice Imminent
If innocent suffering happens to the 'green tree,' how much more will happen to the 'dry tree' when God's judgment is fully unleashed upon them? Jesus is essentially saying that the suffering of the cross is a prelude to the far greater, final judgment that will consume those who persist in their sin and rejection of God.
AD 66-73
First Jewish-Roman War
Jewish rebellion against Roman rule led to widespread devastation, culminating in the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple.
c. AD 70
Destruction of Jerusalem
The Roman army, under Titus, besieged and destroyed Jerusalem, an event that fulfilled Jesus' prophecies of impending doom and brought immense suffering.
"For behold, the days are coming when they will say, ‘Blessed are the barren and the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed!’" — Jesus redirects the weeping women, not from pity for himself, but for the unimaginable future horrors that will make childless women seem fortunate. This reveals that the deepest sorrow he foresees i…
