Luke 23:30

Then they will begin to tell the mountains, ‘Fall on us!’ and tell the hills, ‘Cover us.’

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Other translations

WEBBE

Then they will begin to tell the mountains, ‘Fall on us!’ and tell the hills, ‘Cover us.’

BSB

At that time ‘they will say to the mountains, “Fall on us!” and to the hills, “Cover us!”’

KJV

Then shall they begin to say to the mountains, Fall on us; and to the hills, Cover us.

ASV

Then shall they begin to say to the mountains, Fall on us; and to the hills, Cover us.

BBE

And they will say to the mountains, Come down on us, and to the hills, Be a cover over us.

Original Greek

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τότε tote Then G5119 ἄρξονται arxontai They will begin G757 λέγειν legein to say G3004 τοῖς tois to the G3588 ὄρεσιν oresin mountains G3735 πέσετε pesete do fall G4098 ἐφ eph᾽ upon G1909 ἡμᾶς hēmas us G3165 καὶ kai and G2532 τοῖς tois to the G3588 βουνοῖς bounois hills G1015 καλύψατε kalupsate do cover G2572 ἡμᾶς hēmas us G3165

The early church

By these days He signifies the time of the siege and captivity which was coming upon them from the Romans, of which He had said before, Woe to them that are with child, and give suck in those days. It is natural, when captivity by an enemy is threatening, to seek for refuge in fastnesses or hidden places, where men may lie concealed. And so it follows, Then shall they begin to say to the mountains, Fall on us; and to the hills, Cover us. For Josephus relates, that when the Romans pressed hard upon them, the Jews sought hastily the caverns of the mountains, and the lurking places in the hills. It may be also that the words, Blessed are the barren, are to be understood of those of both sexes, who have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake, and that it is said to the mountains and hills, Fall upon us, and Cover us, because all who are mindful of their own weakness, when the crisis of their temptations breaks upon them, have sought to be protected by the example, precepts, and prayers, of certain high and saintly men.
Bede · d. 735Catena Aurea (Aquinas, 1274)

Commentary

Matthew Henry · Verses 26–31

We have here the blessed Jesus, the Lamb of God, led as a lamb to the slaughter, to the sacrifice. Though many reproached and reviled him, yet some pitied him. But the death of Christ was his victory and triumph over his enemies: it was our deliverance, the purchase of eternal life for us. Therefore weep not for him, but let us weep for our own sins, and the sins of our children, which caused his death; and weep for fear of the miseries we shall bring upon ourselves, if we slight his love, and reject his grace. If God delivered him up to such sufferings as these, because he was made a sacrifice for sin, what will he do with sinners themselves, who make themselves a dry tree, a corrupt and wicked generation, and good for nothing! The bitter sufferings of our Lord Jesus should make us stand in awe of the justice of God. The best saints, compared with Christ, are dry trees; if he suffer, why may not they expect to suffer? And what then shall the damnation of sinners be! Even the sufferings of Christ preach terror to obstinate transgressors.

Read Matthew Henry on Luke 23 →

Parallel passages

1

The same words or events elsewhere, including Old Testament passages quoted in the New.

Hosea 10:8

Cross-references

4

Topics

Wicked (People)Quotations And AllusionsDespondency

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