Mark 13:17

But woe to those who are with child and to those who nurse babies in those days!

World English Bible

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Other translations

WEBBE

But woe to those who are with child and to those who nurse babies in those days!

BSB

How miserable those days will be for pregnant and nursing mothers!

KJV

But woe to them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!

ASV

But woe unto them that are with child and to them that give suck in those days!

BBE

And it will be hard for women who are with child and for her who has a baby at the breast in those days.

Original Greek

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οὐαὶ ouai Woe G3759 δὲ de then G1161 ταῖς tais to those G3588 ἐν en in G1722 γαστρὶ gastri womb [pregnancy] G1064 ἐχούσαις echousais having G2192 καὶ kai and G2532 ταῖς tais to the [ones] G3588 θηλαζούσαις thēlazousais nursing infants G2337 ἐν en in G1722 ἐκείναις ekeinais those G1565 ταῖς tais (the) G3588 ἡμέραις hēmerais days G2250

The early church

(ubi sup.) That is, they whose wombs or whose hands, overladen with the burden of children, in no small measure impede their forced flight.

Bede · d. 735Catena Aurea (Aquinas, 1274)

But it seems to me, that in these words He foretells the eating of children, for when afflicted by famine and pestilence, they laid hands on their children.

Theophylact of Ohrid · d. 1107Catena Aurea (Aquinas, 1274)

It goes on: But woe to them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days. (non occ.) Again, after having mentioned this double impediment to flight, which might arise either from the desire of taking away property, or from having children to carry, He touches upon the third obstacle, namely, that coming from the season; saying, And pray ye that your flight be not in the winter.

Glossa Ordinaria · d. 1274Catena Aurea (Aquinas, 1274)

Commentary

Matthew Henry · Verses 14–23

The Jews in rebelling against the Romans, and in persecuting the Christians, hastened their own ruin apace. Here we have a prediction of that ruin which came upon them within less than forty years after this. Such destruction and desolation, that the like cannot be found in any history. Promises of power to persevere, and cautions against falling away, well agree with each other. But the more we consider these things, the more we shall see abundant cause to flee without delay for refuge to Christ, and to renounce every earthly object, for the salvation of our souls.

Read Matthew Henry on Mark 13 →

Parallel passages

The same words or events elsewhere.

Matthew 24:19 Luke 21:23

Cross-references

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