Luke 23:29 (KJV)

What does Luke 23:29 mean?

Luke 23:29 describes a time of such great trouble that people will say those who never had children are fortunate, because they will not have to see their children suffer. Jesus is warning of coming days when the usual joys of family life will seem like burdens because of the hardship and sorrow ahead.

In this verse, Jesus is speaking to a crowd of women as He is led to be crucified. The women are mourning for Him, but Jesus tells them to weep for themselves and their children, hinting at a future disaster. The verse uses strong language to show how severe the coming suffering will be, reversing the normal view that having children is a blessing.

The Greek behind Luke 23:29

• "Blessed" (μακάριαι, makarioi): This word means "happy" or "fortunate," but here it is used in a shocking way—to describe those who are childless, which was usually seen as a misfortune.
• "Barren" (στείραι, steirai): This word refers to women unable to have children. In Jesus' culture, being barren was often a source of shame, so calling them "blessed" highlights how dire the coming days will be.
• "Wombs that never bare" (γαστέρες αἱ οὐκ ἐγέννησαν, gasteres hai ouk egennēsan): This phrase emphasizes the idea of never having given birth, underlining the reversal of what people normally valued.
• "Paps which never gave suck" (μαστοὶ οἳ οὐκ ἐθήλασαν, mastoi hoi ouk ethēlasan): This refers to breasts that never nursed a child, again stressing the unusual blessing of not having children in the coming hardship.

Why Luke 23:29 matters

• Luke 23:29 helps clear up the misunderstanding that Jesus’ words are about the value of motherhood itself; instead, He is describing an extreme situation where normal blessings become sources of pain.
• The verse emphasizes the seriousness of the judgment or disaster Jesus is predicting, showing that it will overturn the deepest social values of the time.
• This warning connects to the wider passage, where Jesus is not focused on His own suffering, but is concerned for the future of Jerusalem and its people, urging them to recognize the coming danger.