Luke 11:47

47 "Woe to you! You build monuments ^[a] to the prophets, and your fathers killed them.

Luke 11:47 Meaning and Commentary

Luke 11:47

Woe unto you
Meaning particularly the lawyers or Scribes, together with the Pharisees, and even the whole body of the people, who in general were of the cast and complexion here described:

for ye build the sepulchres of the prophets;
(See Gill on Matthew 23:29)

and your fathers killed them;
the prophets; "or whom your fathers killed", as read the Syriac, Arabic, and Persic versions; the one put them to death, and the other erected stately monuments over them, or adorned them; and yet both had the same malignant spirit against the faithful servants and messengers of God; and which showed their great hypocrisy.

Luke 11:47 In-Context

45 One of the experts in the law answered Him, "Teacher, when You say these things You insult us too."

46 Then He said: "Woe also to you experts in the law! You load people with burdens that are hard to carry, yet you yourselves don't touch these burdens with one of your fingers.

47 "Woe to you! You build monuments to the prophets, and your fathers killed them.

48 Therefore you are witnesses that you approve the deeds of your fathers, for they killed them, and you build their monuments.

49 Because of this, the wisdom of God said, 'I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they will kill and persecute,'

Footnotes

• [a]. Or graves