Luke 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.
Original Language Analysis
Cross References
Historical Context
First-century Jewish culture viewed motherhood as sacred duty and divine blessing. The worst curse imaginable was to see one's children suffer or die. During the siege of Jerusalem (AD 70), Josephus describes horrific scenes where starving mothers devoured their own infants (Jewish War 6.3.4). The Roman historian Tacitus corroborates these accounts, recording that 600,000 bodies were carried out of the city gates during the siege.
Archaeological excavations in Jerusalem have uncovered evidence of the catastrophe—destruction layers from AD 70, including arrowheads, burned buildings, and skeletal remains showing signs of trauma and malnutrition. The temple was burned, its treasures looted (depicted on the Arch of Titus in Rome), and Jewish survivors were sold into slavery throughout the empire. Jesus' prophecy proved devastatingly accurate—in that judgment, childlessness was indeed preferable to motherhood.
Questions for Reflection
- What does this radical value reversal teach about the severity of divine judgment upon those who reject Christ?
- How should the historical fulfillment of Jesus' prophecy shape our urgency in proclaiming the gospel before judgment comes?
- In what ways does this passage challenge cultural assumptions about what constitutes blessing apart from relationship with God?
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Analysis & Commentary
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. This verse pronounces a shocking reversal of cultural values. In Jewish culture, barrenness was considered a curse and childbearing a blessing (Genesis 1:28, Psalm 127:3-5). The phrase "the days are coming" (erchontai hēmerai, ἔρχονται ἡμέραι) prophetically announces future judgment, echoing prophetic formulas throughout Scripture (Jeremiah 7:32, 9:25, Amos 4:2).
The triple description—"barren" (hai steirai, αἱ στεῖραι, sterile), "wombs that never bare" (koiliai hai ouk egennēsan, κοιλίαι αἳ οὐκ ἐγέννησαν), and "paps which never gave suck" (mastoi hoi ouk ethrepsan, μαστοὶ οἳ οὐκ ἔθρεψαν)—emphasizes completeness. Women who never conceived, carried, or nursed children would be called makariai (μακάριαι, "blessed")—the same word used in the Beatitudes (Luke 6:20-22). This indicates suffering so severe that childlessness would be preferable to watching children suffer.
This prophecy finds fulfillment in the AD 70 siege of Jerusalem. Josephus records mothers eating their own children during the famine, making barrenness appear blessed by comparison. Jesus' words echo Hosea 9:14—"Give them, O LORD: what wilt thou give? give them a miscarrying womb and dry breasts." When judgment falls on a society that rejected God's Messiah, even natural blessings become sources of unbearable grief.