Luke 10:13 kjv
Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works had been done in Tyre and Sidon, which have been done in you, they had a great while ago repented, sitting in sackcloth and ashes.
Luke 10:13 nkjv
"Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes.
Luke 10:13 niv
"Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes.
Luke 10:13 esv
"Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes.
Luke 10:13 nlt
"What sorrow awaits you, Korazin and Bethsaida! For if the miracles I did in you had been done in wicked Tyre and Sidon, their people would have repented of their sins long ago, clothing themselves in burlap and throwing ashes on their heads to show their remorse.
Luke 10 13 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Mt 11:20-24 | Then he began to denounce the cities where most of his mighty works had been done, because they did not repent: “Woe to you, Chorazin!... if the mighty works... in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.” | Direct parallel of Jesus' woe and comparison. |
| Lk 12:47-48 | "And that servant who knew his master's will... will be beaten with many blows. But the one who did not know and did what deserved a beating will receive few blows." | Principle of greater knowledge, greater accountability. |
| Jas 4:17 | So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin. | Knowing truth, failing to act, is sin. |
| Eze 26:1-21 | A prophecy against Tyre: "I will make you a bare rock... a place for the spreading of nets... nations that knew you will be appalled at you." | Divine judgment against Tyre for its wickedness. |
| Isa 23:1-18 | A prophecy against Tyre: "Wail, you ships of Tarshish... Is this your exultant city...?" | Another lament and prophecy against Tyre. |
| Jer 47:4 | "the day is coming to despoil all the Philistines, to cut off from Tyre and Sidon every helper that remains." | Foretelling the desolation of Tyre and Sidon. |
| Zeph 2:5-7 | "Woe to you inhabitants of the seacoast... the land of the Philistines... Ashkelon will become a desolation." | Prophecy against coastal regions including Tyre/Sidon's neighbors. |
| Jonah 3:5-9 | "The people of Nineveh believed God; they proclaimed a fast... from the greatest of them to the least of them." | Example of a pagan city repenting at God's word. |
| Lk 11:31-32 | "The queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them... The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment... for they repented." | Example of Gentiles responding more than Israelites. |
| Acts 13:51 | But they shook off the dust from their feet against them and went to Iconium. | Symbolic rejection of those who refuse the message, similar to Mt 10:14. |
| Rom 2:4 | Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? | God's kindness meant to prompt repentance. |
| 2 Cor 7:10 | For godly sorrow produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly sorrow produces death. | Nature of true repentance unto salvation. |
| Mt 10:15 | Truly, I say to you, it will be more bearable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah than for that town. | Similar comparison for cities rejecting the disciples. |
| Rev 18:21-24 | "So will Babylon the great city be thrown down with violence... in her was found the blood of prophets and of saints..." | The severe judgment upon a proud, unrepentant city/system. |
| Isa 1:16-17 | "Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your deeds... Cease to do evil, learn to do good..." | Call to repentance and changed behavior. |
| Isa 5:20-21 | "Woe to those who call evil good and good evil... Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, and shrewd in their own sight!" | Prophetic woes for moral perversion. |
| Jer 13:17 | "...My eyes will weep bitterly and run down with tears, because the LORD's flock has been taken captive." | Jeremiah's lament over Israel's unresponsiveness. |
| Pss 51:17 | The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. | The nature of true penitence desired by God. |
| Acts 17:30 | The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. | God's universal command to repent. |
| 2 Pet 3:9 | The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. | God's patience leading to repentance. |
| Deut 8:20 | "...because you would not obey the voice of the LORD your God." | Principle of judgment based on disobedience. |
Luke 10 verses
Luke 10 13 Meaning
Luke 10:13 expresses Jesus' lament and pronounces a divine judgment, a "woe," upon the Galilean cities of Chorazin and Bethsaida. Despite having witnessed numerous powerful miracles and heard Jesus' direct teaching, they remained unrepentant. Jesus declares that if the same mighty works had been performed in the historically wicked, pagan cities of Tyre and Sidon, those cities would have repented long ago, showing their penitence in a humble, traditional manner. This verse underscores the principle that greater exposure to divine truth and power brings greater accountability, and that unresponsiveness to God's overtures incurs severe condemnation.
Luke 10 13 Context
Luke chapter 10 recounts Jesus sending out seventy-two (or seventy) disciples with authority to preach the kingdom of God and heal the sick. Upon their joyful return, having seen demons submit to them, Jesus exults in the Holy Spirit. Immediately following this joyful passage, Jesus pronounces "woes" upon Chorazin and Bethsaida, demonstrating the serious nature of rejecting the divine message and mighty works they had witnessed. These cities, located in Galilee, were centers of Jesus' earthly ministry, yet they largely remained hard-hearted. The comparison to Tyre and Sidon—ancient Phoenician cities notorious in the Old Testament for idolatry and wickedness, long under God's judgment—is startling and serves to highlight the shocking spiritual hardness of Chorazin and Bethsaida. Historically, Tyre and Sidon were powerful maritime cities that accumulated wealth through trade and were frequently condemned by Old Testament prophets for their pride and immorality.
Luke 10 13 Word analysis
- Woe (Οὐαί, Ouai): More than a simple curse; it's a lamentation, a deep expression of sorrow and prophetic judgment, indicating the grave consequences of spiritual negligence. It's a mournful outcry predicting doom.
- to you, Chorazin! (σοι, Χοραζίν): Chorazin was a Galilean city, just north of Capernaum, often associated with Bethsaida and Capernaum as a triangle of Jesus’ primary ministry. Archaeological evidence indicates it was a prosperous Jewish town. Despite proximity to Jesus’ constant ministry, no record of great faith or repentance from its inhabitants is found.
- Woe to you, Bethsaida! (σοι, Βηθσαϊδά): Bethsaida was a fishing village on the north shore of the Sea of Galilee, a center for Peter, Andrew, and Philip (Jn 1:44). Jesus performed miracles there (Mk 8:22-26) and preached. Like Chorazin, it saw extensive displays of God’s power but remained unrepentant.
- for if (ὅτι εἰ, hoti ei): The "for" (ὅτι) explains the "woe," connecting it directly to the following conditional statement. "If" (εἰ) introduces a condition, here implying a counterfactual, highlighting the tragic difference between what was and what might have been with a different response.
- the mighty works (αἱ δυνάμεις, hai dynameis): Refers to miraculous deeds, acts of divine power demonstrated by Jesus—healings, exorcisms, nature miracles—that served as powerful attestations to His identity and the presence of the Kingdom of God.
- done in you (γενόμεναι ἐν ὑμῖν, genomenai en hymin): Emphasizes Jesus' personal presence and activity within these cities, indicating direct exposure to divine power.
- had been done in Tyre and Sidon (ἐγένοντο ἐν Τύρῳ καὶ Σιδῶνι, egenonto en Tyrō kai Sidōni): Tyre and Sidon were pagan Phoenician port cities, enemies of Israel historically and representative of deep-seated paganism and materialism (Isa 23; Eze 26-28). The comparison reveals the profound spiritual hardness of Chorazin and Bethsaida, as even notoriously wicked Gentiles would have responded better.
- they would have repented (ἂν μετενόησαν, an metenoēsan): "Repented" (μετανοέω, metanoeō) means to change one's mind, to turn away from sin and toward God; it implies a radical shift in one’s life, leading to different actions. The conditional structure with "ἂν" suggests a certainty of outcome if the premise (miracles in Tyre/Sidon) had occurred, showing the culpability of the Galilean cities.
- long ago (πάλαι, palai): Denotes a significant duration of time. Their repentance would not have been hesitant but immediate and decisive.
- sitting in sackcloth and ashes (ἐν σάκκῳ καὶ σποδῷ καθήμεναι, en sakkō kai spodō kathēmenai): Traditional ancient Near Eastern signs of deep mourning, penitence, humility, and abject sorrow over sin, publicly displayed. Sackcloth was a rough, dark cloth; ashes were strewn over the head. This vividly portrays the expected intensity of repentance from Tyre and Sidon.
Words-group analysis:
- "Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida!": This repetitive double "woe" underscores the severity of the judgment. It's not a mere misfortune but a divine pronouncement against their persistent spiritual blindness and hard-heartedness despite immense privilege.
- "if the mighty works... had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes": This profound counterfactual comparison serves multiple purposes. First, it highlights the degree of their unresponsiveness; second, it showcases the nature of true repentance—humble, demonstrative, and immediate; third, it subtly elevates God’s grace by implying that even notorious pagan cities could repent if given the light these cities received. The specific imagery of sackcloth and ashes rooted in OT prophetic tradition (e.g., Jon 3:5-9 for Nineveh) vividly illustrates a genuine, tangible turning.
Luke 10 13 Bonus section
The cities of Chorazin and Bethsaida, along with Capernaum (mentioned in Mt 11:23 and Lk 10:15), formed a significant "evangelical triangle" where Jesus based much of His Galilean ministry. Their consistent refusal to repent despite this immense privilege contrasts sharply with the surprising willingness of even pagan populations (like Nineveh under Jonah, or the anticipated response of Tyre and Sidon) to turn to God when confronted with clear divine communication. This principle of "greater light, greater responsibility" is central to understanding God's righteous judgment. Historically, these cities indeed faced desolation and their sites today are largely ruins, reflecting the weight of Jesus' pronouncements. The "woes" signify a prophetic pronouncement of judgment on a corporate level, often leading to literal decline or devastation, yet individual accountability remains key.
Luke 10 13 Commentary
Luke 10:13 serves as a sobering indictment, highlighting that divine favor and the witnessing of God's power increase accountability. Jesus' lament over Chorazin and Bethsaida is not merely a statement of future judgment but also an expression of sorrow over lost opportunities for salvation. These cities, privileged to be central to Jesus' miraculous ministry, refused to respond with faith and repentance. The comparison to Tyre and Sidon, known for their historical wickedness and Gentile idolatry, starkly illustrates the depth of spiritual insensitivity in the Galilean towns. This passage underscores that access to spiritual truth and divine acts does not guarantee salvation but intensifies the responsibility to respond. Rejecting the manifest presence of God's kingdom leads to a more severe judgment than that faced by those who lived in spiritual darkness without such illumination. The verse implies that the capacity for repentance exists even among the most wicked, and God’s call is universal, but requires a responsive heart.