Luke 11:44

Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like hidden graves, and the men who walk over them don’t know it.”

World English Bible

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Other translations

WEBBE

Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like hidden graves, and the men who walk over them don’t know it.”

BSB

Woe to you! For you are like unmarked graves, which men walk over without even noticing.”

KJV

Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are as graves which appear not, and the men that walk over them are not aware of them.

ASV

Woe unto you! for ye are as the tombs which appear not, and the men that walk over [them] know it not.

BBE

A curse is on you! for you are like the resting-places of dead men, which are not seen, and men go walking over them without knowledge of it.

Original Greek

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Οὐαὶ Ouai Woe G3759 ὑμῖν humin to you G4771 γραμματεῖς grammateis scribes G1122 καὶ kai and G2532 Φαρισαῖοι Pharisaioi Pharisees G5330 ὑποκριταί hupokritai hypocrites G5273 ὅτι hoti for G3754 ἐστὲ este you are G1510 ὡς hōs like G5613 τὰ ta (the) G3588 μνημεῖα mnēmeia graves G3419 τὰ ta (the) G3588 ἄδηλα adēla unmarked G82 καὶ kai and G2532 οἱ hoi the G3588 ἄνθρωποι anthrōpoi men G444 οἱ hoi who G3588 περιπατοῦντες peripatountes are walking G4043 ἐπάνω epanō above G1883 οὐκ ouk not G3756 οἴδασιν.¶ oidasin do know [it] G6063

The early church

And like graves which appear not, they deceive by their outside beauty, and by their look impose upon the passers by; as it follows, And the men that walk over them are not aware of them; so much that in truth, though they give outward promise of what is beautiful, inwardly they enclose all manner of pollution.

Ambrose of Milan · d. 397Catena Aurea (Aquinas, 1274)

(Hom. 73.) But that the Pharisees were so, cannot be wondered at. But if we who are counted worthy to be the temples of God suddenly become graves full only of corruption, this is indeed the lowest wretchedness.

John Chrysostom · d. 407Catena Aurea (Aquinas, 1274)

By means of those things for which He blames us He makes us better. For He would have us be free from ambition, and not desire after vain show rather than the reality, which the Pharisees were then doing. For the greetings of men, and the rule over them, do not move us to be really useful, for these things fall to men though they be not good men. Therefore he adds, Woe unto you, who are as graves which appear not. For in wishing to receive greetings from men and to exercise authority over them, that they might be accounted great, they differ not from hidden graves, which glitter indeed with outward ornaments, but within are full of all uncleanness. (con. Julian. lib. 10.) Now here the apostate Julian says, that we must avoid graves which Christ says are unclean; but he knew not the force of our Saviour's words, for He did not command us to depart from the graves, but likened to them the hypocritical people of the Pharisees.

Cyril of Alexandria · d. 444Catena Aurea (Aquinas, 1274)

Commentary

Matthew Henry · Verses 37–54

We should all look to our hearts, that they may be cleansed and new-created; and while we attend to the great things of the law and of the gospel, we must not neglect the smallest matter God has appointed. When any wait to catch something out of our mouths, that they may insnare us, O Lord, give us thy prudence and thy patience, and disappoint their evil purposes. Furnish us with such meekness and patience that we may glory in reproaches, for Christ's sake, and that thy Holy Spirit may rest upon us.

Read Matthew Henry on Luke 11 →

Parallel passages

The same words or events elsewhere.

Matthew 23:27

Cross-references

Cross-references: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. Hebrew and Greek data from STEPBible.org (Tyndale House, Cambridge), CC BY 4.0. Library: sources.