For behold, the days shall come, wherein they will say: Blessed are the barren and the wombs that have not borne and the paps that have not given suck.
οτι ιδου ερχονται ημεραι εν αις ερουσιν μακαριαι αι στειραι και κοιλιαι αι ουκ εγεννησαν και μαστοι οι ουκ εθηλασαν
10 Church Fathers comment on this verse
Tears offer solace not to those who suffer willingly, but rather to those who endure suffering against their will. Therefore, He instructs them not to mourn for Him, but encourages them to reflect on the coming tribulations, urging them to grieve for these impending trials, when mothers will sorrowfully resort to cannibalism, and the very womb that gave life will lament over the fate of its offspring.
In what manner did this occur? When conflict descended upon the land of the Jews, every individual, from the least to the greatest, met with destruction, leaving no survivors: infants with their mothers, and sons with their fathers, without exception. He states that people will greatly value the cost of being crushed beneath hills and mountains; for during severe trials, those afflictions that are less intense can, in a sense, seem preferable.
Who can fail to recognize how Israel thrived in ancient times, standing strong against all the kingdoms of the earth? What regal families inhabited the city of Jerusalem! What impressive walls and towers! What a glorious structure was the temple! The Lord's disciples perceived all this with astonishment and, gazing in wonder at the marvels around them, as the Gospel narrative reveals, sought to draw the Lord's attention by asking Him: “What are these wonderful works, and what are these buildings?” (Mk. 13:1). Yet the Lord reveals to them the future devastation of that sacred place and the loss of its beauty, indicating that soon it would all be rendered insignificant.
During His suffering, the women followed Him, mourning the unjust judgment He faced, unaware of the impending monumental rebuilding. The Lord cautions them to refrain from expressing sorrow over His plight, for it is not deserving of tears; instead, they should reserve their lamentations for the day that truly warrants grief—the time when the city will face siege, and suffering will escalate to the degree that those who have not given birth will be deemed fortunate. He even prophesies the horrific act of cannibalism, indicating that in those days, barren wombs would be admired.
And where are those regal residences now? What has become of the temple? Where are the walls? Where are the watchtowers? Where is the nation of Israel? Scattered here and there, the Israelites are dispersed across the globe. With the collapse of all that was once great, the royal households have been laid to waste. It seems to me that the Lord forewarned about these events not merely for their own sake—whether it would be of much benefit to those listening to predict what was bound to occur; they would experience it firsthand without prior notice—but rather so that they who heard Him might develop faith in the greater matters that were disclosed. For the evidence of one truth serves as a testament to the truth of another. If a farmer speaks of the potential of seeds and an inexperienced listener doubts him, it would be enough for the farmer to demonstrate the vitality of a single seed in the measure to validate the promise of others. When one sees a grain of wheat, barley, or any other type of grain, sown in the ground producing a fruitful ear, doubt in the rest of the seeds will cease based on that one successful outcome.
The period he refers to is the time of Jerusalem's siege and its fall, during which he proclaims that those who are barren will be deemed fortunate compared to those who have borne children. This is because they did not witness the profound suffering and anguish that others experienced in witnessing the relentless torment of their offspring.
Children are often cherished hopes for mothers, and for the Jewish people, barrenness was seen as the ultimate tragedy (1 Sam. 1:5, 20). The Prophet implored God to give barren wombs and dried breasts, calling down divine judgment upon the wayward Ephraim (Hos. 9:14). To harbor such envy towards those without children signified profound despair. In this context, the Saviour hints at a grim future, foretelling that the devastation faced by the people in Jerusalem will be so harrowing that they will mourn their lack of fruitfulness and mourn for those who are barren. The calamities of war, famine, and disease that swept through the obliteration of Jerusalem during Titus's reign particularly afflicted Jewish mothers.
The desperation of famine drove some mothers to the unthinkable, resorting to cutting their children for sustenance. They looked upon the childless with envy, wishing for their situation, as these women were spared the torment of witnessing their offspring suffer in the aftermath of violence and hunger.
As was customary for those facing execution, the Lord Himself bore the cross to the site of His crucifixion. However, He was so wearied by the brutal torments He experienced, both physically and mentally, that He collapsed under the burden of the cross. The rough soldiers, who had previously ridiculed Him, showed a hint of mercy and compelled Simon of Cyrene, who was passing by, to lift the cross and carry it to the designated location. Despite His agonies, He was moved by profound compassion for the misled and blinded individuals, whose destiny He foresaw and upon whom God’s judgment was about to descend for their past sins, particularly this vile act.
When His sufferings brought tears to some of the women of Jerusalem, He urged them, "Weep not for Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children," foretelling the severe tribulations that would indeed strike Jerusalem during the impending siege. He added, "If they do these things in a green tree, what shall be done in the dry?” (If the innocent endure such agony, what can we expect for the guilty).
Saint John provides a succinct account, mentioning that as Christ was condemned to death and led away, He went to Calvary while "bearing His cross." The first three Gospels recount that along the way, they encountered Simon of Cyrene, whom the soldiers compelled to assist in carrying the cross after Jesus, as our Lord, weakened by His numerous sufferings, was unable to bear it to the crucifixion site. Additionally, the Gospel according to Luke highlights that a great multitude of faithful women followed Him, mourning for Him. In His response, Jesus turned their spiritual focus from Himself to their own futures, foretelling God’s judgment on Jerusalem.
He warned that the distress that would befall its residents would be so severe that the joy of childbearing would be forsaken, with individuals desiring a swift but painful death to escape the impending horrors. He remarked that if a holy and blameless individual endures such profound suffering, what then awaits sinful humanity at the appointed time?
Christ addressed the sorrowful women, saying, "Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me; instead, weep for yourselves and for your children. The days are coming when they will proclaim, 'Blessed are the barren, the wombs that have not borne, and the breasts that have never nursed.' At that time, people will call to the mountains, 'Fall upon us,' and to the hills, 'Cover us.' For if these things are done to the green tree, what will happen to the dry?" In this poignant address, Christ foretold the looming destruction of Jerusalem, a time when famine, the fury of warring factions, and the terror of the Roman siege would lead mothers to grieve for their offspring and to envy those without child.
In their desperation, they would wish for the earth to swallow them, longing for death, pleading that the surrounding mountains and hills would collapse upon them to alleviate their anguish. By likening Himself to a green tree and the Jewish nation to a dry tree, a barren fig tree, He concluded His message to the mourning women with a dire question: If this is what happens to the green tree, what then awaits the dry? This echoes what John the Baptist warned: "Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire" (Luke 3:9). He cautioned the Jewish people that an axe was already laid at the root of their tree, poised to sever it if it remained unfruitful (Matthew 3:10), yet the warnings were disregarded by this hardened populace.
The entire ambiance of this sorrowful procession was profoundly moving, causing many women to weep uncontrollably at the sight. The Divine Suffering One turned His gaze upon them and urged them not to mourn for Him, but rather for themselves and for the impending trials that would befall the entire Jewish people and the promised land.
The time is near when immense tribulations and profound sorrows will be upon you. In that moment, it will be evident that the greatest blessing of bearing children will transform into a source of anguish, while those deemed forsaken by God, the childless, will be regarded as fortunate.
Passages read together with this verse.
Greek text, 21 words with lemma, transliteration and Strong’s number. Tap to expand.
THEOSIS