CINXE.COM

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "//www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="//www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" /><meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1" /><title>Luke 11:47 Woe to you! You build tombs for the prophets, but it was your fathers who killed them.</title><link rel="canonical" href="https://biblehub.com/luke/11-47.htm" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="/new9.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><meta property="og:image" content="https://biblehub.com/visuals/1/42_Luk_11_47.jpg" /><meta property="og:title" content="Luke 11:47 - Woes to Religious Leaders" /><meta property="og:site_name" content="Bible Hub" /><meta property="og:description" content="Woe to you! You build tombs for the prophets, but it was your fathers who killed them." /><script type="application/javascript" src="https://scripts.webcontentassessor.com/scripts/8a2459b64f9cac8122fc7f2eac4409c8555fac9383016db59c4c26e3d5b8b157"></script><script src='https://qd.admetricspro.com/js/biblehub/biblehub-layout-loader-revcatch.js'></script><script id='HyDgbd_1s' src='https://prebidads.revcatch.com/ads.js' type='text/javascript' async></script><script>(function(w,d,b,s,i){var cts=d.createElement(s);cts.async=true;cts.id='catchscript'; cts.dataset.appid=i;cts.src='https://app.protectsubrev.com/catch_rp.js?cb='+Math.random(); document.head.appendChild(cts); }) (window,document,'head','script','rc-anksrH');</script></head> <script async src="https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtag/js?id=G-LR4HSKRP2H"></script> <script> window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; function gtag(){dataLayer.push(arguments);} gtag('js', new Date()); gtag('config', 'G-LR4HSKRP2H'); </script><body><div id="fx"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx2"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="30" scrolling="no" src="/vmenus/luke/11-47.htm" align="left" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div><div id="blnk"></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable"><tr><td><div id="fx5"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx6"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="245" scrolling="no" src="/bmc/luke/11-47.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable3"><tr><td><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center" id="announce"><tr><td><div id="l1"><div id="breadcrumbs"><a href="/">Bible</a> > <a href="/luke/">Luke</a> > <a href="/luke/11.htm">Chapter 11</a> > Verse 47</div><div id="anc"><iframe src="/anc.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></div><div id="anc2"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><iframe src="/anc2.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></div><div id="ad1"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><iframe src="/ad7.htm" width="100%" height="48" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></td></tr></table><div id="movebox2"><table border="0" align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td><div id="topheading"><a href="/luke/11-46.htm" title="Luke 11:46">◄</a> Luke 11:47 <a href="/luke/11-48.htm" title="Luke 11:48">►</a></div></tr></table></div><div align="center" class="maintable2"><table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><div id="topverse"> <a href="#audio" class="clickchap2" title="Context and Audio Bible"> Audio </a> <a href="#crossref" class="clickchap2" title="Cross References"> Cross </a> <a href="#study" class="clickchap2" title="Study Bible"> Study </a> <a href="#commentary" class="clickchap2" title="Commentary"> Comm </a> <a href="#lexicon" class="clickchap2" title="Lexicon"> Greek </a> </div><div id="leftbox"><div class="padleft"><div class="vheadingv"><b>Verse</b><a href="/bsb/luke/11.htm" class="clickchap" style="color:#001320" title="Click any translation name for full chapter">  (Click for Chapter)</a></div><div id="par"><span class="versiontext"><a href="/niv/luke/11.htm">New International Version</a></span><br />&#8220Woe to you, because you build tombs for the prophets, and it was your ancestors who killed them.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nlt/luke/11.htm">New Living Translation</a></span><br />What sorrow awaits you! For you build monuments for the prophets your own ancestors killed long ago.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/esv/luke/11.htm">English Standard Version</a></span><br />Woe to you! For you build the tombs of the prophets whom your fathers killed.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/bsb/luke/11.htm">Berean Standard Bible</a></span><br />Woe to you! For you build tombs for the prophets, but it was your fathers who killed them.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/blb/luke/11.htm">Berean Literal Bible</a></span><br />Woe to you, for you build the tombs of the prophets, yet your fathers killed them.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/kjv/luke/11.htm">King James Bible</a></span><br />Woe unto you! for ye build the sepulchres of the prophets, and your fathers killed them.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nkjv/luke/11.htm">New King James Version</a></span><br />Woe to you! For you build the tombs of the prophets, and your fathers killed them.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb_/luke/11.htm">New American Standard Bible</a></span><br />Woe to you! For you build the tombs of the prophets, and <i>it was</i> your fathers <i>who</i> killed them.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb/luke/11.htm">NASB 1995</a></span><br />&#8220Woe to you! For you build the tombs of the prophets, and it was your fathers who killed them.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb77/luke/11.htm">NASB 1977 </a></span><br />“Woe to you! For you build the tombs of the prophets, and <i>it was</i> your fathers <i>who</i> killed them.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lsb/luke/11.htm">Legacy Standard Bible </a></span><br />Woe to you! For you build the tombs of the prophets, but your fathers killed them.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/amp/luke/11.htm">Amplified Bible</a></span><br />Woe to you! For you repair <i>or</i> build tombs for the prophets, and it was your fathers who killed them.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/csb/luke/11.htm">Christian Standard Bible</a></span><br />“Woe to you! You build tombs for the prophets, and your fathers killed them.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/hcsb/luke/11.htm">Holman Christian Standard Bible</a></span><br />&#8220Woe to you! You build monuments to the prophets, and your fathers killed them. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/asv/luke/11.htm">American Standard Version</a></span><br />Woe unto you! for ye build the tombs of the prophets, and your fathers killed them.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/cev/luke/11.htm">Contemporary English Version</a></span><br />Yes, you are really in for trouble. You build monuments to honor the prophets your own people murdered long ago. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/erv/luke/11.htm">English Revised Version</a></span><br />Woe unto you! for ye build the tombs of the prophets, and your fathers killed them.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/gwt/luke/11.htm">GOD'S WORD® Translation</a></span><br />"How horrible it will be for you! You build the monuments for the prophets. But it was your ancestors who murdered them.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/gnt/luke/11.htm">Good News Translation</a></span><br />How terrible for you! You make fine tombs for the prophets--the very prophets your ancestors murdered. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/isv/luke/11.htm">International Standard Version</a></span><br />How terrible it will be for you! You build monuments for the prophets, and it was your ancestors who killed them! <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/net/luke/11.htm">NET Bible</a></span><br />Woe to you! You build the tombs of the prophets whom your ancestors killed.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nheb/luke/11.htm">New Heart English Bible</a></span><br />Woe to you. For you build the tombs of the prophets, and your fathers killed them.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/wbt/luke/11.htm">Webster's Bible Translation</a></span><br />Woe to you! for ye build the sepulchers of the prophets, and your fathers killed them.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/wey/luke/11.htm">Weymouth New Testament</a></span><br />Alas for you! for you repair the tombs of the Prophets, whom your forefathers killed.<div class="vheading2"><b>Majority Text Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/msb/luke/11.htm">Majority Standard Bible</a></span><br />Woe to you! For you build tombs for the prophets, but it was your fathers who killed them.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/web/luke/11.htm">World English Bible</a></span><br />Woe to you! For you build the tombs of the prophets, and your fathers killed them. <div class="vheading2"><b>Literal Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lsv/luke/11.htm">Literal Standard Version</a></span><br />Woe to you, because you build the tombs of the prophets, and your fathers killed them.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/blb/luke/11.htm">Berean Literal Bible</a></span><br />Woe to you, for you build the tombs of the prophets, yet your fathers killed them.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/ylt/luke/11.htm">Young's Literal Translation</a></span><br /> 'Woe to you, because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and your fathers killed them.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/slt/luke/11.htm">Smith's Literal Translation</a></span><br />Woe to you! for ye build the tombs of the prophets, and your fathers killed them.<div class="vheading2"><b>Catholic Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/drb/luke/11.htm">Douay-Rheims Bible</a></span><br />Woe to you who build the monuments of the prophets: and your fathers killed them. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/cpdv/luke/11.htm">Catholic Public Domain Version</a></span><br />Woe to you, who build the tombs of the prophets, while it is your fathers who killed them!<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nabre/luke/11.htm">New American Bible</a></span><br />Woe to you! You build the memorials of the prophets whom your ancestors killed.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nrsvce/luke/11.htm">New Revised Standard Version</a></span><br />Woe to you! For you build the tombs of the prophets whom your ancestors killed.<div class="vheading2"><b>Translations from Aramaic</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lamsa/luke/11.htm">Lamsa Bible</a></span><br />Woe to you! for you build the tombs of prophets, whom your fathers killed.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/aramaic-plain-english/luke/11.htm">Aramaic Bible in Plain English</a></span><br />“Woe to you who are building the tombs of The Prophets, for your fathers murdered them.”<div class="vheading2"><b>NT Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/anderson/luke/11.htm">Anderson New Testament</a></span><br />Alas for you! for you build the sepulchers of the prophets, and your fathers killed them.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/godbey/luke/11.htm">Godbey New Testament</a></span><br /><FR>Woe unto you! because you build the sepulchers of the prophets, and your fathers killed them.<Fr><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/haweis/luke/11.htm">Haweis New Testament</a></span><br />Wo unto you! for ye build the sepulchres of the prophets, and your fathers killed them.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/mace/luke/11.htm">Mace New Testament</a></span><br />wo unto you, for you rebuild the sepulchres of those prophets, whom your fathers put to death:<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/wey/luke/11.htm">Weymouth New Testament</a></span><br />Alas for you! for you repair the tombs of the Prophets, whom your forefathers killed.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/worrell/luke/11.htm">Worrell New Testament</a></span><br /><FR>"Woe to you! because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and your fathers killed them.<Fr><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/worsley/luke/11.htm">Worsley New Testament</a></span><br /><FR>Wo unto you; who build the sepulchres of the prophets, and your fathers killed them.<Fr><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/parallel/luke/11-47.htm">Additional Translations ...</a></span></div></div></div><div id="centbox"><div class="padcent"><a name="audio" id="audio"></a><div class="vheadingv"><b>Audio Bible</b></div><iframe width="100%" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/3-5_0Jtd9Lc?start=4879" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe><span class="p"><br /><br /><br /></span><div class="vheadingv"><b>Context</b></div><span class="hdg"><a href="/bsb/luke/11.htm">Woes to Religious Leaders</a></span><br>…<span class="reftext">46</span>“Woe to you as well, experts in the law!” He replied. “You weigh men down with heavy burdens, but you yourselves will not lift a finger to lighten their load. <span class="reftext">47</span><span class="highl"><a href="/greek/3759.htm" title="3759: ouai (I) -- Woe!, alas!, uttered in grief or denunciation. A primary exclamation of grief; woe.">Woe</a> <a href="/greek/4771.htm" title="4771: hymin (PPro-D2P) -- You. The person pronoun of the second person singular; thou.">to you!</a> <a href="/greek/3754.htm" title="3754: hoti (Conj) -- Neuter of hostis as conjunction; demonstrative, that; causative, because."></a> <a href="/greek/3618.htm" title="3618: oikodomeite (V-PIA-2P) -- From the same as oikodome; to be a house-builder, i.e. Construct or confirm.">You build</a> <a href="/greek/3588.htm" title="3588: ta (Art-ANP) -- The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the."></a> <a href="/greek/3419.htm" title="3419: mnēmeia (N-ANP) -- A tomb, sepulcher, monument. From mneme; a remembrance, i.e. Cenotaph.">tombs</a> <a href="/greek/3588.htm" title="3588: tōn (Art-GMP) -- The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.">for the</a> <a href="/greek/4396.htm" title="4396: prophētōn (N-GMP) -- From a compound of pro and phemi; a foreteller; by analogy, an inspired speaker; by extension, a poet.">prophets,</a> <a href="/greek/1161.htm" title="1161: de (Conj) -- A primary particle; but, and, etc.">but</a> <a href="/greek/4771.htm" title="4771: hymōn (PPro-G2P) -- You. The person pronoun of the second person singular; thou.">it was your</a> <a href="/greek/3588.htm" title="3588: hoi (Art-NMP) -- The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the."></a> <a href="/greek/3962.htm" title="3962: pateres (N-NMP) -- Father, (Heavenly) Father, ancestor, elder, senior. Apparently a primary word; a father.">fathers</a> <a href="/greek/615.htm" title="615: apekteinan (V-AIA-3P) -- To put to death, kill; fig: I abolish. From apo and kteino; to kill outright; figuratively, to destroy.">who killed</a> <a href="/greek/846.htm" title="846: autous (PPro-AM3P) -- He, she, it, they, them, same. From the particle au; the reflexive pronoun self, used of the third person, and of the other persons.">them.</a> </span> <span class="reftext">48</span>So you are witnesses consenting to the deeds of your fathers: They killed the prophets, and you build their tombs.…<div class="cred"><a href="//berean.bible">Berean Standard Bible</a> · <a href="//berean.bible/downloads.htm">Download</a></div><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a name="crossref" id="crossref"></a><div class="vheading">Cross References</div><div id="crf"><span class="crossverse"><a href="/matthew/23-29.htm">Matthew 23:29-32</a></span><br />Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous. / And you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partners with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ / So you testify against yourselves that you are the sons of those who murdered the prophets. ...<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/acts/7-52.htm">Acts 7:52</a></span><br />Which of the prophets did your fathers fail to persecute? They even killed those who foretold the coming of the Righteous One. And now you are His betrayers and murderers—<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/1_thessalonians/2-15.htm">1 Thessalonians 2:15</a></span><br />who killed both the Lord Jesus and their own prophets and drove us out as well. They are displeasing to God and hostile to all men,<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/hebrews/11-36.htm">Hebrews 11:36-38</a></span><br />Still others endured mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. / They were stoned, they were sawed in two, they were put to death by the sword. They went around in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, oppressed, and mistreated. / The world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and hid in caves and holes in the ground.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/romans/11-3.htm">Romans 11:3</a></span><br />“Lord, they have killed Your prophets and torn down Your altars. I am the only one left, and they are seeking my life as well”?<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/1_kings/19-10.htm">1 Kings 19:10</a></span><br />“I have been very zealous for the LORD, the God of Hosts,” he replied, “but the Israelites have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. I am the only one left, and they are seeking my life as well.”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/2_chronicles/24-20.htm">2 Chronicles 24:20-22</a></span><br />Then the Spirit of God came upon Zechariah son of Jehoiada the priest, who stood up before the people and said to them, “This is what God says: ‘Why do you transgress the commandments of the LORD so that you cannot prosper? Because you have forsaken the LORD, He has forsaken you.’” / But they conspired against Zechariah, and by order of the king, they stoned him in the courtyard of the house of the LORD. / Thus King Joash failed to remember the kindness that Zechariah’s father Jehoiada had extended to him. Instead, Joash killed Jehoiada’s son. As he lay dying, Zechariah said, “May the LORD see this and call you to account.”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/nehemiah/9-26.htm">Nehemiah 9:26</a></span><br />But they were disobedient and rebelled against You; they flung Your law behind their backs. They killed Your prophets, who had admonished them to return to You. They committed terrible blasphemies.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/jeremiah/2-30.htm">Jeremiah 2:30</a></span><br />“I have struck your sons in vain; they accepted no discipline. Your own sword has devoured your prophets like a voracious lion.”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/jeremiah/26-20.htm">Jeremiah 26:20-23</a></span><br />Now there was another man prophesying in the name of the LORD, Uriah son of Shemaiah from Kiriath-jearim. He prophesied against this city and against this land the same things that Jeremiah did. / King Jehoiakim and all his mighty men and officials heard his words, and the king sought to put him to death. But when Uriah found out about it, he fled in fear and went to Egypt. / Then King Jehoiakim sent men to Egypt: Elnathan son of Achbor along with some other men. ...<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/jeremiah/44-4.htm">Jeremiah 44:4-5</a></span><br />Yet I sent you all My servants the prophets again and again, saying: ‘Do not do this detestable thing that I hate.’ / But they did not listen or incline their ears; they did not turn from their wickedness or stop burning incense to other gods.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/ezekiel/13-9.htm">Ezekiel 13:9</a></span><br />My hand will be against the prophets who see false visions and speak lying divinations. They will not belong to the council of My people or be recorded in the register of the house of Israel, nor will they enter the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the Lord GOD.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/ezekiel/22-25.htm">Ezekiel 22:25-28</a></span><br />The conspiracy of the princes in her midst is like a roaring lion tearing its prey. They devour the people, seize the treasures and precious things, and multiply the widows within her. / Her priests do violence to My law and profane My holy things. They make no distinction between the holy and the common, and they fail to distinguish between the clean and the unclean. They disregard My Sabbaths, so that I am profaned among them. / Her officials within her are like wolves tearing their prey, shedding blood, and destroying lives for dishonest gain. ...<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/zechariah/1-4.htm">Zechariah 1:4-6</a></span><br />Do not be like your fathers, to whom the former prophets proclaimed that this is what the LORD of Hosts says: ‘Turn now from your evil ways and deeds.’ But they did not listen or pay attention to Me, declares the LORD. / Where are your fathers now? And the prophets, do they live forever? / But did not My words and My statutes, which I commanded My servants the prophets, overtake your fathers? They repented and said, ‘Just as the LORD of Hosts purposed to do to us according to our ways and deeds, so He has done to us.’”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/zechariah/7-11.htm">Zechariah 7:11-14</a></span><br />But they refused to pay attention and turned a stubborn shoulder; they stopped up their ears from hearing. / They made their hearts like flint and would not listen to the law or to the words that the LORD of Hosts had sent by His Spirit through the earlier prophets. Therefore great anger came from the LORD of Hosts. / And just as I had called and they would not listen, so when they called I would not listen, says the LORD of Hosts. ...</div><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a name="tsk" id="tsk"><div class="vheading">Treasury of Scripture</div><p class="tsk2">Woe to you! for you build the sepulchers of the prophets, and your fathers killed them.</p><p class="hdg">for.</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/matthew/23-29.htm">Matthew 23:29-33</a></b></br> Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchres of the righteous, … </p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/acts/7-51.htm">Acts 7:51</a></b></br> Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers <i>did</i>, so <i>do</i> ye.</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/1_thessalonians/2-15.htm">1 Thessalonians 2:15</a></b></br> Who both killed the Lord Jesus, and their own prophets, and have persecuted us; and they please not God, and are contrary to all men:</p><div class="vheading">Jump to Previous</div><a href="/luke/11-46.htm">Alas</a> <a href="/mark/13-25.htm">Bodies</a> <a href="/luke/7-5.htm">Build</a> <a href="/luke/11-46.htm">Curse</a> <a href="/luke/9-31.htm">Death</a> <a href="/luke/11-11.htm">Fathers</a> <a href="/luke/6-27.htm">Forefathers</a> <a href="/luke/9-22.htm">Killed</a> <a href="/luke/10-24.htm">Prophets</a> <a href="/matthew/23-29.htm">Repair</a> <a href="/luke/11-44.htm">Resting-Places</a> <a href="/matthew/23-29.htm">Sepulchers</a> <a href="/luke/11-44.htm">Sepulchres</a> <a href="/luke/11-44.htm">Tombs</a> <a href="/luke/11-44.htm">Wo</a> <a href="/luke/11-46.htm">Woe</a><div class="vheading2">Jump to Next</div><a href="/luke/11-52.htm">Alas</a> <a href="/luke/12-22.htm">Bodies</a> <a href="/luke/11-48.htm">Build</a> <a href="/luke/11-52.htm">Curse</a> <a href="/luke/11-48.htm">Death</a> <a href="/luke/11-48.htm">Fathers</a> <a href="/luke/11-48.htm">Forefathers</a> <a href="/luke/11-48.htm">Killed</a> <a href="/luke/11-48.htm">Prophets</a> <a href="/2_kings/12-5.htm">Repair</a> <a href="/luke/13-19.htm">Resting-Places</a> <a href="/luke/11-48.htm">Sepulchers</a> <a href="/luke/11-48.htm">Sepulchres</a> <a href="/luke/11-48.htm">Tombs</a> <a href="/luke/11-52.htm">Wo</a> <a href="/luke/11-52.htm">Woe</a><div class="vheading2">Luke 11</div><span class="reftext">1. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/luke/11-1.htm">Jesus teaches us to pray, and that instantly;</a></span><br><span class="reftext">11. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/luke/11-11.htm">assuring us that God will give all good things to those who ask him.</a></span><br><span class="reftext">14. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/luke/11-14.htm">He, casting out a demon, rebukes the blasphemous Pharisees;</a></span><br><span class="reftext">27. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/luke/11-27.htm">and shows who are blessed;</a></span><br><span class="reftext">29. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/luke/11-29.htm">preaches to the people;</a></span><br><span class="reftext">37. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/luke/11-37.htm">and reprimands the outward show of holiness.</a></span><br></div></div><div id="mdd"><div align="center"><div class="bot2"><table align="center" width="100%"><tr><td><div align="center"> <script id="3d27ed63fc4348d5b062c4527ae09445"> (new Image()).src = 'https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=51ce25d5-1a8c-424a-8695-4bd48c750f35&cid=3a9f82d0-4344-4f8d-ac0c-e1a0eb43a405'; </script> <script id="b817b7107f1d4a7997da1b3c33457e03"> (new Image()).src = 'https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=cb0edd8b-b416-47eb-8c6d-3cc96561f7e8&cid=3a9f82d0-4344-4f8d-ac0c-e1a0eb43a405'; </script><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-2'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-0' style='max-width: 300px;'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-3'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-1' style='max-width: 300px;'> </div><br /><br />  <div align="center" id='div-gpt-ad-1531425649696-0'> </div><br /><br /> <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:inline-block;width:200px;height:200px" data-ad-client="ca-pub-3753401421161123" data-ad-slot="3592799687"></ins> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); </script> <br /><br /> </div> </td></tr></table></div></div></div><div id="combox"><div class="padcom"><a name="study" id="study"></a><div class="vheading"><table width="100%"><tr><td width="99%" valign="top"><a href="/study/luke/11.htm">Study Bible</a></td><td width="1%" valign="top"><a href="/study/luke/" title="Book Summary and Study">Book ◦</a> <a href="/study/chapters/luke/11.htm" title="Chapter summary and Study">Chapter </a></tr></table></div><b>Woe to you!</b><br>This phrase is a strong denunciation, often used by Jesus to express lament or judgment. It indicates a serious warning or condemnation. In the context of the Gospels, "woe" is directed towards those who are hypocritical or who reject God's message. This echoes the prophetic tradition found in the Old Testament, where prophets like Isaiah and Jeremiah used similar language to call out the sins of Israel.<p><b>For you build tombs for the prophets,</b><br>Building tombs for the prophets can be seen as an act of honoring them. However, Jesus points out the irony and hypocrisy in this action. The religious leaders of Jesus' time were outwardly honoring the prophets by maintaining their tombs, yet they were not heeding the prophets' messages. This reflects a superficial religiosity that values tradition and appearance over genuine obedience to God. The act of building tombs could also be seen as an attempt to distance themselves from the guilt of their ancestors' actions.<p><b>but it was your fathers who killed them.</b><br>This phrase highlights the historical pattern of Israel rejecting and persecuting God's messengers. The "fathers" refers to the ancestors of the current generation, who were responsible for the deaths of the prophets. This accusation underscores the continuity of rebellion against God throughout Israel's history. It also serves as a warning that the current generation is in danger of repeating the same mistakes by rejecting Jesus, the ultimate prophet. This connects to the broader biblical theme of the rejection of God's messengers, culminating in the rejection of Christ himself, as seen in passages like <a href="/acts/7-52.htm">Acts 7:52</a>, where Stephen accuses the Jewish leaders of betraying and murdering the Righteous One.<div class="vheading2">Persons / Places / Events</div>1. <b><a href="/topical/j/jesus_christ.htm">Jesus Christ</a></b><br>The speaker of this verse, addressing the Pharisees and experts in the law, highlighting their hypocrisy.<br><br>2. <b><a href="/topical/p/pharisees_and_experts_in_the_law.htm">Pharisees and Experts in the Law</a></b><br>Religious leaders of the time who are being rebuked by Jesus for their actions and attitudes.<br><br>3. <b><a href="/topical/p/prophets.htm">Prophets</a></b><br>Messengers sent by God in the Old Testament, often persecuted and killed by the ancestors of those Jesus is addressing.<br><br>4. <b><a href="/topical/a/ancestors/fathers.htm">Ancestors/Fathers</a></b><br>The forefathers of the religious leaders, who were responsible for the persecution and killing of the prophets.<br><br>5. <b><a href="/topical/t/tombs.htm">Tombs</a></b><br>Monuments built by the Pharisees to honor the prophets, which ironically highlight the guilt of their ancestors.<div class="vheading2">Teaching Points</div><b><a href="/topical/h/hypocrisy_in_religious_practice.htm">Hypocrisy in Religious Practice</a></b><br>Jesus condemns the Pharisees for outwardly honoring the prophets while inwardly sharing the same rebellious spirit as their ancestors. We must examine our own lives for hypocrisy, ensuring our actions align with our professed beliefs.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/t/the_danger_of_tradition_over_truth.htm">The Danger of Tradition Over Truth</a></b><br>The Pharisees were more concerned with maintaining traditions than embracing the truth of God's message. We should prioritize God's truth over human traditions, ensuring our faith is rooted in Scripture.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/a/acknowledging_spiritual_heritage.htm">Acknowledging Spiritual Heritage</a></b><br>Recognizing the sins of our spiritual forebears is crucial. We must learn from past mistakes and strive to live in a way that honors God and His messengers.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/t/the_cost_of_prophetic_ministry.htm">The Cost of Prophetic Ministry</a></b><br>The prophets faced persecution and death for their faithfulness to God's message. We should be prepared to face opposition for standing firm in our faith and proclaiming God's truth.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/b/building_a_legacy_of_faithfulness.htm">Building a Legacy of Faithfulness</a></b><br>Instead of building monuments to the past, we should focus on living a life that leaves a legacy of faithfulness and obedience to God.<div class="vheading2">Lists and Questions</div><a href="/top10/lessons_from_luke_11.htm">Top 10 Lessons from Luke 11</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/can_this_cup_pass_from_me.htm">Can this cup pass from me?</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/key_teachings_events_in_luke.htm">What are the key teachings and events in Luke?</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/how_does_jesus'_critique_align_with_the_law.htm">In Luke 11:42–52, how do we reconcile Jesus’ strict criticism of religious leaders with other passages that affirm the divine origin and authority of the Law?</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/why_send_servants_and_son_if_rejected.htm">Mark 12:1-9: Why would an all-knowing God repeatedly send servants and His own Son if He knew they would be rejected and killed?</a><a name="commentary" id="commentary"></a><div class="vheading2"><a href="/commentaries/ellicott/luke/11.htm">Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers</a></div>(47) <span class= "bld">Ye build the sepulchres of the prophets.</span>--See Note on <a href="/matthew/23-29.htm" title="Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because you build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchers of the righteous,">Matthew 23:29</a>. St. Luke omits the reference, which we find in St. Matthew, to the "sepulchres of the righteous."<p><div class="vheading2"><a href="/commentaries/pulpit/luke/11.htm">Pulpit Commentary</a></div><span class="cmt_sub_title">Verses 47, 48.</span> - <span class="cmt_word">Ye build the sepulchres of the prophets, and your fathers killed them. Truly ye bear witness that ye allow the deeds of your fathers: for they indeed killed them, and ye build their sepulchres</span>. There are still existing four singular tombs at the foot of Olivet, in the Valley of Jehoshaphat. Remarkable objects now to the modern traveler at Jerusalem, in all their fresh beauty they would be still more striking in the days of our Lord. The peculiar composite nature of the architecture of these great tombs has decided antiquaries to ascribe the building of these to the days of the later Herods. It is, therefore, not improbable that these conspicuous objects in the landscape, seen from the temple platform, and possibly others like them, which have since perished, were the tombs and sepulchres especially in our Lord's mind when he was speaking to the lawyer, and later at Jerusalem, when he' repeated, with some slight variations, the same awful woe (<a href="/matthew/23-29.htm">Matthew 23:29</a>). It <span class="accented">was</span>, indeed, a speech of awful and cutting irony, these words of Jesus. "<span class="accented">Your</span> fathers," he said, "killed the prophets; <span class="accented">you</span> complete their evil work by building tombs for these slain men of God. In other words, you pretend to make amends for the crimes of past generations by this show of ostentatious piety; but if you really differed from your wicked fathers in spirit, if you indeed honored, as you profess to do by this gorgeous tomb-building, the holy men of God whom <span class="accented">they</span> slew, would you be acting as you now are doing - trying, as you know you are, to take my life? Is not <span class="accented">my</span> life like the lives of those old murdered prophets? are not my words resembling theirs?" <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/commentaries/luke/11-47.htm">Parallel Commentaries ...</a></span><span class="p"><br /><br /><br /></span><a name="lexicon" id="lexicon"></a><div class="vheading">Greek</div><span class="word">Woe</span><br /><span class="grk">οὐαὶ</span> <span class="translit">(ouai)</span><br /><span class="parse">Interjection<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/greek/strongs_3759.htm">Strong's 3759: </a> </span><span class="str2">Woe!, alas!, uttered in grief or denunciation. A primary exclamation of grief; 'woe'.</span><br /><br /><span class="word">to you!</span><br /><span class="grk">ὑμῖν</span> <span class="translit">(hymin)</span><br /><span class="parse">Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Dative 2nd Person Plural<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/greek/strongs_4771.htm">Strong's 4771: </a> </span><span class="str2">You. The person pronoun of the second person singular; thou.</span><br /><br /><span class="word">You build</span><br /><span class="grk">οἰκοδομεῖτε</span> <span class="translit">(oikodomeite)</span><br /><span class="parse">Verb - Present Indicative Active - 2nd Person Plural<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/greek/strongs_3618.htm">Strong's 3618: </a> </span><span class="str2">From the same as oikodome; to be a house-builder, i.e. Construct or confirm.</span><br /><br /><span class="word">tombs</span><br /><span class="grk">μνημεῖα</span> <span class="translit">(mnēmeia)</span><br /><span class="parse">Noun - Accusative Neuter Plural<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/greek/strongs_3419.htm">Strong's 3419: </a> </span><span class="str2">A tomb, sepulcher, monument. From mneme; a remembrance, i.e. Cenotaph.</span><br /><br /><span class="word">for the</span><br /><span class="grk">τῶν</span> <span class="translit">(tōn)</span><br /><span class="parse">Article - Genitive Masculine Plural<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/greek/strongs_3588.htm">Strong's 3588: </a> </span><span class="str2">The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.</span><br /><br /><span class="word">prophets,</span><br /><span class="grk">προφητῶν</span> <span class="translit">(prophētōn)</span><br /><span class="parse">Noun - Genitive Masculine Plural<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/greek/strongs_4396.htm">Strong's 4396: </a> </span><span class="str2">From a compound of pro and phemi; a foreteller; by analogy, an inspired speaker; by extension, a poet.</span><br /><br /><span class="word">but</span><br /><span class="grk">δὲ</span> <span class="translit">(de)</span><br /><span class="parse">Conjunction<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/greek/strongs_1161.htm">Strong's 1161: </a> </span><span class="str2">A primary particle; but, and, etc.</span><br /><br /><span class="word">[it was] your</span><br /><span class="grk">ὑμῶν</span> <span class="translit">(hymōn)</span><br /><span class="parse">Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Genitive 2nd Person Plural<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/greek/strongs_4771.htm">Strong's 4771: </a> </span><span class="str2">You. The person pronoun of the second person singular; thou.</span><br /><br /><span class="word">fathers</span><br /><span class="grk">πατέρες</span> <span class="translit">(pateres)</span><br /><span class="parse">Noun - Nominative Masculine Plural<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/greek/strongs_3962.htm">Strong's 3962: </a> </span><span class="str2">Father, (Heavenly) Father, ancestor, elder, senior. Apparently a primary word; a 'father'.</span><br /><br /><span class="word">[who] killed</span><br /><span class="grk">ἀπέκτειναν</span> <span class="translit">(apekteinan)</span><br /><span class="parse">Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Plural<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/greek/strongs_615.htm">Strong's 615: </a> </span><span class="str2">To put to death, kill; fig: I abolish. From apo and kteino; to kill outright; figuratively, to destroy.</span><br /><br /><span class="word">them.</span><br /><span class="grk">αὐτούς</span> <span class="translit">(autous)</span><br /><span class="parse">Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Accusative Masculine 3rd Person Plural<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/greek/strongs_846.htm">Strong's 846: </a> </span><span class="str2">He, she, it, they, them, same. From the particle au; the reflexive pronoun self, used of the third person, and of the other persons.</span><br /><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><div class="vheading">Links</div><a href="/niv/luke/11-47.htm">Luke 11:47 NIV</a><br /><a href="/nlt/luke/11-47.htm">Luke 11:47 NLT</a><br /><a href="/esv/luke/11-47.htm">Luke 11:47 ESV</a><br /><a href="/nasb/luke/11-47.htm">Luke 11:47 NASB</a><br /><a href="/kjv/luke/11-47.htm">Luke 11:47 KJV</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="//bibleapps.com/luke/11-47.htm">Luke 11:47 BibleApps.com</a><br /><a href="//bibliaparalela.com/luke/11-47.htm">Luke 11:47 Biblia Paralela</a><br /><a href="//holybible.com.cn/luke/11-47.htm">Luke 11:47 Chinese Bible</a><br /><a href="//saintebible.com/luke/11-47.htm">Luke 11:47 French Bible</a><br /><a href="/catholic/luke/11-47.htm">Luke 11:47 Catholic Bible</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/luke/11-47.htm">NT Gospels: Luke 11:47 Woe to you! (Luke Lu Lk) </a></div></div></td></tr></table></div><div id="left"><a href="/luke/11-46.htm" onmouseover='lft.src="/leftgif.png"' onmouseout='lft.src="/left.png"' title="Luke 11:46"><img src="/left.png" name="lft" border="0" alt="Luke 11:46" /></a></div><div id="right"><a href="/luke/11-48.htm" onmouseover='rght.src="/rightgif.png"' onmouseout='rght.src="/right.png"' title="Luke 11:48"><img src="/right.png" name="rght" border="0" alt="Luke 11:48" /></a></div><div id="botleft"><a href="#" onmouseover='botleft.src="/botleftgif.png"' onmouseout='botleft.src="/botleft.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botleft.png" name="botleft" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div><div id="botright"><a href="#" onmouseover='botright.src="/botrightgif.png"' onmouseout='botright.src="/botright.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botright.png" name="botright" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div><div id="bot"><iframe width="100%" height="1500" scrolling="no" src="/botmenubhnew2.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></div></td></tr></table></div></body></html>