Luke 23 28

Luke 23:28 kjv

But Jesus turning unto them said, Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for me, but weep for yourselves, and for your children.

Luke 23:28 nkjv

But Jesus, turning to them, said, "Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children.

Luke 23:28 niv

Jesus turned and said to them, "Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me; weep for yourselves and for your children.

Luke 23:28 esv

But turning to them Jesus said, "Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children.

Luke 23:28 nlt

But Jesus turned and said to them, "Daughters of Jerusalem, don't weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children.

Luke 23 verses

Luke 23 28 Meaning

In Luke 23:28, as Jesus bears the cross to Golgotha, a group of women from Jerusalem follows, expressing deep sorrow and lamentation over His suffering. Jesus turns to them and issues a profound and prophetic command: "Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children." This statement shifts the focus from His immediate physical suffering to the far greater spiritual and physical calamity that awaited Jerusalem and its inhabitants due to their rejection of Him and their continued unrepentance. He implies that His own suffering, while real, is a pathway to salvation for those who believe, but the unaddressed sin of Jerusalem will lead to horrific consequences, specifically for the generation present and their offspring.

Luke 23 28 Context

Luke 23:28 occurs during Jesus' arduous journey to the cross, following His condemnation by Pilate. He is paraded through the streets, carrying His own cross initially, a deeply public and humiliating spectacle. Simon of Cyrene is compelled to carry the cross for Him, likely because Jesus' strength failed. The "Daughters of Jerusalem" are Jewish women who, following ancient Near Eastern mourning customs, publicly express sorrow. Their lamentation is an outpouring of compassion for one condemned, a common response to such processions. Jesus' response to them immediately follows Simon's compulsion to carry the cross and precedes the actual crucifixion. Historically, this scene unfolds against the backdrop of Roman occupation of Judea and deep socio-political tension. Jerusalem was a city with a rich but turbulent history, known for rejecting prophets (as Jesus Himself noted) and now poised to reject its Messiah, unknowingly setting the stage for its own devastating destruction by the Roman armies in 70 AD, a future event Jesus had repeatedly prophesied.

Luke 23 28 Word analysis

• But Jesus (Ὁ δὲ Ἰησοῦς - Ho de Iēsous): Signifies a transition and emphasizes Jesus' active, deliberate response despite His own dire circumstances. "But" indicates a shift in perspective. He is in control, not merely a passive victim.
• turned to them (στραφεὶς πρὸς αὐτάς - strapheis pros autas): Indicates an intentional, personal, and direct engagement. It's not a casual utterance but a significant address to their specific sorrow.
• said (εἶπεν - eipen): A pronouncement, carrying authority and prophetic weight, not a mere comment.
• Daughters of Jerusalem (Θυγατέρες Ἱερουσαλὴμ - Thygateres Hierousalēm): A specific collective address. It refers to the female population of Jerusalem, known for public lamentation. It invokes their identity rooted in the city and implies their shared destiny with it.
• do not weep for Me (μὴ κλαίετε ἐπ’ ἐμέ - mē klaiete ep’ eme): A prohibition using the aorist imperative, implying "stop weeping now." The Greek word klaiō denotes loud, outward, often professional lamentation and wailing. Jesus is redirecting their expression of sorrow. Their weeping, though compassionate, missed the deeper, more profound tragedy at hand. His suffering was purposeful; theirs would be punitive.
• but weep (ἀλλὰ κλαίετε - alla klaiete): A strong adversative "but," contrasting His state with theirs. This is a command to weep, urging them towards the proper object of sorrow. It uses the same intense verb for lamentation.
• for yourselves (ἐφ’ ἑαυτάς - eph’ heautas): Focuses on their personal and collective culpability and impending doom. It implies the consequences of their city's sin and rejection of the Messiah would fall directly upon them.
• and for your children (καὶ ἐπὶ τὰ τέκνα ὑμῶν - kai epi ta tekna hymōn): Extends the warning to the next generation, prophesying a calamity so great it would specifically impact their offspring. This points to the horrifying realities of the 70 AD siege, where parents would endure extreme suffering for their children.

Luke 23 28 Bonus section

The lament directed by Jesus signifies a reversal of expected sorrow. While weeping for a condemned man might be seen as virtuous and compassionate, Jesus clarifies that His suffering is part of a divine plan for redemption, not merely a pitiable misfortune. The true tragedy to be lamented is the fate of Jerusalem, a "green wood" (Lk 23:31) still capable of yielding fruit but destined for judgment if it does not receive its Messiah. The impending judgment included the desolation mentioned in Old Testament prophecies and the horrifying realities of siege warfare where families would suffer unimaginable starvation and violence. The phrase "Daughters of Jerusalem" specifically addresses those who, by their sex, were culturally associated with deep, demonstrative public grief, thereby amplifying the gravity of His command to them to redirect their sorrow from Him to their own future. This verse serves as a powerful testament to Jesus' divine knowledge and prophetic foresight, even as He walks the path to the cross.

Luke 23 28 Commentary

Luke 23:28 encapsulates a profound message of Jesus' compassion, even in His deepest agony, and His unyielding focus on eternal realities and impending divine judgment. Amidst His public humiliation and extreme physical pain, Jesus, the very essence of love and truth, directs the women's sympathetic sorrow towards the far greater tragedy of Jerusalem's unrepented sin and its calamitous consequences. His words are not a dismissal of their compassion but a redirection of their understanding. He shifts their focus from the physical suffering of the innocent Lamb of God to the spiritual plight and eventual horrific physical suffering of a city that had consistently rejected God's messengers, culminating in their rejection of Him. This prophecy, fully realized in 70 AD with the Roman siege and destruction of Jerusalem, underscored the severity of unrepentance and national apostasy. It also highlights the ultimate victory embedded in Christ's suffering for those who believe, contrasted with the inevitable judgment awaiting those who do not.

• Example: A person might weep for the symptoms of a disease, but Jesus here tells them to weep for the disease itself and its inevitable deadly outcome if left untreated.
• Example: People might express sympathy for victims of an injustice, but Jesus challenges them to see the root cause of the injustice, their own sin, and its eventual devastation.