Matthew 24:19
in Matthew 24How miserable those days will be for pregnant and nursing mothers!
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
But woe unto them that are with child and to them that give suck in those days!
KJV
And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!
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This verse in Matthew 24
Commentary
23 notes on this verseAnd wo unto them (alas! for them) that are with child, etc. - For such persons are not in a condition to make their escape; neither can they bear the miseries of the siege. Josephus says the houses were full of women and children that perished by the famine; and that the mothers snatched the food even out of their own children’s mouths. See War, b. v. c.
This site's exposition
flee to the mountains
on Matthew 24:16-20
The sign calls for flight at once. Eusebius records the Jerusalem believers escaping across the Jordan to Pella before Rome's armies sealed the city. Gill and Lightfoot note that rabbinic law fixed the Sabbath limit at about two thousand cubits, a distance that would hinder a Sabbath flight.
This site's exposition
pregnant and nursing mothers
The woe is a lament for the mothers least able to flee; Clarke notes that they could neither run nor keep alive through the siege. He cites Josephus on houses full of women and children killed by famine. Hunger drove mothers to take food from their own children.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers5 voices
Mystically; In the holy place of the Scriptures, both Old and New Testament, Antichrist, that is, false word, has often stood; let those who see this flee from the Judæa of the letter to the high mountains of truth. And whoso has been found to have gone up to the house-top of the word, and to be standing upon its summit, let him not come down thence as though he would fetch any thing out of his house. And if he be in the field in which the treasure is hid, and return thence to his house, he will run into the temptation of a false word; but especially if he have stripped off his old garment, that is, the old man, and should have returned again to take it up. Then the soul, as it were with child by the word, not having yet brought forth, is liable to a woe; for it casts that which it had conceived, and loses that hope which is in the acts of truth; and the same also if the word has been brought forth perfect and entire, but not having yet attained sufficient growth. Let them that flee to the mountains pray that their flight be not in the winter or on the sabbath-day, because in the serenity of a settled spirit they may reach the way of salvation, but if the winter overtake them they fall amongst those whom they would fly from. And there be some who rest from evil works, but do not good works; be your flight then not on such sabbath when a man rests from good works, for no man is easily overcome in times of peril from false doctrines, except he is unprovided with good works. But what sorer affliction is there than to see our brethren deceived, and to feel one's self shaken and terrified? Those days mean the precepts and dogmas of truth; and all interpretations coming of science falsely so called (1 Tim. 6:20.) are so many additions to those days, which God shortens by those whom He wills.
Or because that will not be a time of showing pity, neither upon them who are with child, nor upon them who are suckling, nor upon their infants.
One must not believe that the Lord was drawing our attention to the burden of pregnant women when he said, "Woe to those who are with child." Instead, he wanted to demonstrate the heavy weight of souls filled with sins, a weight which prevents them from escaping the storm of wrath stored up for them, whether they are on the roof or in the field. Suffering naturally accompanies pregnancy, and no one is born into the world without his entire body being shaken by the experience. Souls therefore who are found in a similar condition will continue in their suffering and burdens."Woe also to those who are nursing." The weaned infant is no less unfit for flight than is the one who is still nursing. But if the difference in age and status between those who are nursing and those who are weaned is of no importance, how are we to understand "Woe also to those who are nursing"? This warning is meant to show the infirmity of souls who were being taught to know God as though they were being nursed. But in fact they only had a weak foretaste of the knowledge of God and were deprived of the strength which comes from the perfect food. The Lord's woe therefore is said to the souls themselves who are too weighed down to escape the antichrist or too weak to face him because they had not been avoiding sin and because they had not been fed with the true bread. Therefore we are admonished to pray that our flight does not take place in the winter or on the sabbath. In other words, let us not be found in the coldness of our sins or in the absence of good works. A heavy, intolerable affliction will be visited upon everyone, unless those days are shortened because of the elect of God.
That which is said, Woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck, is not to be taken literally as an admonition to women pregnant, but as a description of souls burdened with the weight of sin, that neither in the house, nor in the field, may escape the storm of the wrath that is in store for them. Woe also to those that are being suckled; the weak souls, that is, who are being brought to the knowledge of God as by milk, to whom it shall be woe, because they are too laden to fly, and too inexperienced to resist Antichrist, having neither escaped sin, nor partaken of the food of true bread.
For why should we be eager to bear children, whom, when we have them, we desire to send before us (to glory) (in respect, I mean, of the distresses that are now imminent); desirous as we are ourselves, too, to be taken out of this most wicked world, and received into the Lord's presence, which was the desire even of an apostle? To the servant of God, forsooth, offspring is necessary! For of our own salvation we are secure enough, so that we have leisure for children! Burdens must be sought by us for ourselves which are avoided even by the majority of the Gentiles, who are compelled by laws, who are decimated by abortions; burdens which, finally, are to us most of all unsuitable, as being perilous to faith! For why did the Lord foretell a "woe to them that are with child, and them that give suck," except because He testifies that in that day of disencumbrance the encumbrances of children will be an inconvenience? It is to marriage, of course, that those encumbrances appertain; but that ("woe") will not pertain to widows.
15 more voices on this verse
The Church Fathers7 voices
A third saying let them add, "Let us eat, and drink, and marry, for to-morrow we shall die; " not reflecting that the "woe" (denounced) "on such as are with child, and are giving suck," will fall far more heavily and bitterly in the "universal shaking" of the entire world than it did in the devastation of one fraction of Judaea.
What is meant by the fact that it is written in the same Matthew, Woe to those who are pregnant and those who nurse in those days. And: Pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath (Matthew 24:19-20). This is clearly dependent on the earlier statements. For when the Gospel of Christ has been preached to all nations and the end has come, and they see the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel the Prophet, standing in the holy place (Mark 13): then those who are in Judea are commanded to flee to the mountains; and those who are on the housetop, not to come down and take anything from their house; and those who are in the field, not to turn back and take their cloak. We have spoken more fully on these matters in the Commentaries of the same Matthew. And at once it is joined: Woe to the pregnant and nursing women in those days. In which days? when the abomination of desolation stands in the holy place. Indeed, it is not doubtful that this is preached according to the letter concerning the advent of Antichrist: when the magnitude of persecution compels them to flee, and heavy wombs, and nursing infants impede flight. Although some want it to mean the siege and battle against the Jews, and especially Jerusalem, by Titus and Vespasian. Winter and Sabbaths are also interpreted thus so as not to compel flight at that time when the severity of the cold in the fields and in desert places does not allow refugees to hide: and the observance of the Sabbath either makes deserters if they flee, or exposes them to the swords of the enemy if they keep Sabbath rest and commandments. But let us, hearing the Lord and Savior, flee to the mountains with those who are in Judea; let us also raise our eyes to the mountains, of which it is written: "I lift up my eyes to the hills, from whence cometh my help" (Psalm 120:1). […]
(Verse 19.) But woe to those who are pregnant and nursing in those days. Woe to those souls who have not brought forth their offspring to perfect manhood, but have the beginnings of faith, that they should need the nourishment of masters. This can also be said, that in the persecution of Antichrist, or the Roman captivity, those who are pregnant and nursing, burdened with the weight of their wombs and their children, were unable to make an easy escape.
Watch for your life's sake. Let not your lamps be quenched, nor your loins unloosed; but be ye ready, for ye know not the hour in which our Lord cometh. But often shall ye come together, seeking the things which are befitting to your souls: for the whole time of your faith will not profit you, if ye be not made perfect in the last time. For in the last days false prophets and corrupters shall be multiplied, and the sheep shall be turned into wolves, and love shall be turned into hate; for when lawlessness increaseth, they shall hate and persecute and betray one another, and then shall appear the world-deceiver as Son of God, and shall do signs and wonders, and the earth shall be delivered into his hands, and he shall do iniquitous things which have never yet come to pass since the beginning. Then shall the creation of men come into the fire of trial, and many shall be made to stumble and shall perish; but they that endure in their faith shall be saved from under the curse itself. And then shall appear the signs of the truth; first, the sign of an out-spreading in heaven; then the sign of the sound of the trumpet; and the third, the resurrection of the dead; yet not of all, but as it is said: The Lord shall come and all His saints with Him. Then shall the world see the Lord coming upon the clouds of heaven.
The holy reading continues: "Woe to those who are with child and to those who are nursing in those days." This means woe to those who have conceived suffering and begotten iniquity by neglecting the faith. For just as a pregnant woman in flight has …
"Woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck," to the one because of their greater inertness, and because they cannot flee easily, being weighed down by the burden of their pregnancy; to the other, because they are held by the tie of feeling for their children, and cannot save their sucklings. For money it is a light thing to despise, and an easy thing to provide, and clothes; but the bonds of nature how could any one escape? how could the pregnant woman become active? how could she that gives suck be able to overlook that which she had borne?
A commentator
Apostolic ConstitutionsApostolic Constitutions (Book VII), Section 2, XXXII · Written before 380.
proposed
For in the last days false prophets shall be multiplied, and such as corrupt the word; and the sheep shall be changed into wolves, and love into hatred: for through the abounding of iniquity the love of many shall wax cold. For men shall hate, and persecute, and betray one another. And then shall appear the deceiver of the world, the enemy of the truth, the prince of lies, [2 Thessalonians 2:3-12] whom the Lord Jesus "shall destroy with the spirit of His mouth, who takes away the wicked with His lips; and many shall be offended at Him. But they that endure to the end, the same shall be saved. And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven;" [Isaiah 11:4; Matthew 24:1-51] and afterwards shall be the voice of a trumpet by the archangel; and in that interval shall be the revival of those that were asleep. And then shall the Lord come, and all His saints with Him, with a great concussion above the clouds, with the angels of His power, [Matthew 16:27] in the throne of His kingdom, to condemn the devil, the deceiver of the world, and to render to every one according to his deeds. "Then shall the wicked go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous shall go into life eternal," [Matthew 25:46] to inherit those things "which eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man, such things as God has prepared for them that love Him;" [1 Corinthians 2:9] and they shall rejoice in the kingdom of God, which is in Christ Jesus.
The Medieval Church4 voices
A commentator
BonaventureCollations on the Hexaemeron, Collation 9 · Written in the 13th century.
proposed
This firmness of faith was shaken violently in the beginning when the martyrs were crucified by idolaters. It was also shaken in intermediate times by different heresies. It will be shaken most violently at the end of the time of the Church through torment, argument, …
Then he presents the unavoidable impediments. And because there were some impediments that were unavoidable by human power and absolutely, and some that, although unavoidable by human power, were avoidable by the power of God, therefore first about the first; secondly about the second, at …
(Aug. Serm. App. 75. 2.) Or, They that are with child, are they who covet what belongs to others; they that give suck, are they who have already forcibly taken that which they coveted; to them shall be woe in the day of judgment. Pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, or on the sabbath day; ...
Those who are with child will not be able to flee, weighed down as they are by the burden of their womb. Those who give suck, because of their compassion for their children, will not be able to leave them, nor to carry them and …
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
); the deceivers would pretend to divine inspiration, an immediate mission, and a spirit of prophecy, when it was all a lie. Such they had been formerly ( Jer. xxiii. 6 ), as was foretold, Deut. xiii.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens
And woe unto them that are with child,....
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
One main subject of this part of our Lord’s prophecy is the taking of Jerusalem by the Romans. That great event took place about forty years after the words we have now read were spoken. A full account of it is to be found in the writings of the historian Josephus. Those writings are the best comment on our Lord’s words; they are a striking proof of the accuracy of every title of his predictions.
One main subject of this part of our Lord’s prophecy is the taking of Jerusalem by the Romans. That great event took place about forty years after the words we have now read were spoken. A full account of it is to be found in the writings of the historian Josephus. Those writings are the best comment on our Lord’s words; they are a striking proof of the accuracy of every title of his predictions. The horrors and miseries which the Jews endured throughout the siege of their city exceed anything on record: it was truly a time of tribulation, so as was not since the beginning of the world It surprises some to find so much importance attached to the taking of Jerusalem: they would rather regard the whole chapter as unfulfilled. Such persons forget that Jerusalem and the temple were the heart of the old Jewish dispensation. When they were destroyed, the old Mosaic system came to an end. The daily sacrifice, the yearly feasts, the altar, the holy of holies and the priesthood were all essential parts of revealed religion, till Christ came—but no longer. When he died upon the cross, their work was done: they were dead, and it only remained that they should be buried. But it was not fitting that this thing should be done quietly. The ending of a dispensation given with so much solemnity at Mount Sinai might well be expected to be marked with particular solemnity; the destruction of the holy temple, where so many old saints had seen “shadows of good things to come,” might well be expected to form a subject of prophecy: and so it was. The Lord Jesus specially predicts the desolation of “the holy place.” The great High Priest describes the end of the dispensation which had been a schoolmaster to bring men to himself. But we must not suppose that this part of our Lord’s prophecy is exhausted by the first taking of Jerusalem.
The words behind it
13 Greek wordsEvery Greek word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Greek | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| οὐαὶ | ouai | Woe | G3759 → | 46 times |
| δὲ | de | then | G1161 → | 2765 times |
| ταῖς | tais | to those | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| ἐν | en | in | G1722 → | 2738 times |
| γαστρὶ | gastri | womb [pregnancy] | G1064 → | 9 times |
| ἐχούσαις | echousais | having | G2192 → | 707 times |
| καὶ | kai | and | G2532 → | 9120 times |
| ταῖς | tais | to those | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| θηλαζούσαις | thelazousais | nursing infants | G2337 → | |
| ἐν | en | in | G1722 → | 2738 times |
| ἐκείναις | ekeinais | those | G1565 → | 260 times |
| ταῖς | tais | the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| ἡμέραις. | hemerais | days. | G2250 → | 389 times |
οὐαὶWoe
ouaiG3759 →46 times
δὲthen
deG1161 →2765 times
ταῖςto those
taisG3588 →19766 times
ἐνin
enG1722 →2738 times
γαστρὶwomb [pregnancy]
gastriG1064 →9 times
ἐχούσαιςhaving
echousaisG2192 →707 times
καὶand
kaiG2532 →9120 times
ταῖςto those
taisG3588 →19766 times
θηλαζούσαιςnursing infants
thelazousaisG2337 →
ἐνin
enG1722 →2738 times
ἐκείναιςthose
ekeinaisG1565 →260 times
ταῖςthe
taisG3588 →19766 times
ἡμέραις.days.
hemeraisG2250 →389 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Lamentations 4:10The hands of compassionate women have cooked their own children, who became their food in the destruction of the daughter of my people.
it leads to
- 2 Kings 6:26–29
As the king of Israel was passing by on the wall, a woman cried out to him, “Help me, my lord the king!”
- Isaiah 49:15
“Can a woman forget her nursing child, or lack compassion for the son of her womb? Even if she could forget, I will not forget you!
- Lamentations 2:20
Look, O LORD, and consider: Whom have You ever treated like this? Should women eat their offspring, the infants they have nurtured? Should priests and prophets be killed in the sanctuary of the Lord?
- Jeremiah 19:9
I will make them eat the flesh of their sons and daughters, and they will eat one another’s flesh in the siege and distress inflicted on them by their enemies who seek their lives.’
- Lamentations 4:3
Even jackals offer their breasts to nurse their young, but the daughter of my people has become cruel, like an ostrich in the wilderness.
- 2 Kings 6:26–29
Through
Luke 21:23How miserable those days will be for pregnant and nursing mothers! For there will be great distress upon the land and wrath against this people.
it leads to
- Lamentations 4:10
The hands of compassionate women have cooked their own children, who became their food in the destruction of the daughter of my people.
- Mark 13:17
How miserable those days will be for pregnant and nursing mothers!
- Luke 23:29
Look, the days are coming when people will say, ‘Blessed are the barren women, the wombs that never bore, and breasts that never nursed!’
- Lamentations 4:10
Where this verse is studied
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On this verse
About Matthew
This page draws on 21 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Apostolic Constitutions, Apostolic Constitutions (Book VII), Section 2, XXXII; Bonaventure, Collations on the Hexaemeron, Collation 9; Didache, The Didache, Chapter 16; Epiphanius Scholasticus, INTERPRETATION OF THE GOSPELS 33; Hilary of Poitiers, Commentary on Matthew 25.6-7; Hilary of Poitiers, Catena Aurea by Aquinas; J.C. Ryle, Expository Thoughts on the Gospels: Matthew; Jerome, Letter 121, Chapter 4; Jerome, Commentary on Matthew; John Chrysostom, Homily on the Gospel of Matthew 76; John Gill, Exposition of the New Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the New Testament (1746-1748); John Lightfoot, Horae Hebraicae et Talmudicae on Matthew; Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible; Origen of Alexandria, Catena Aurea by Aquinas; Pseudo-Augustine, Catena Aurea by Aquinas; Tertullian, To His Wife Book I; Tertullian, On Monogamy; Theophylact of Ohrid, Commentary on Matthew and Thomas Aquinas, Commentary on Matthew.