Luke 7:31

31 And the Lord said, Therefore to whom shall I say men of this generation like, and to whom be they like?

Luke 7:31 Meaning and Commentary

Luke 7:31

And the Lord said
This clause is not in the Syriac, Arabic, Persic, and Ethiopic versions, nor in some copies, nor in Beza's most ancient copy; and being omitted, more clearly shows, that the two former verses are the words of Christ, and not an observation the evangelist makes, on the different behaviour of Christ's hearers, upon the commendation he had given of John:

whereunto then shall I liken the men of this generation;
or "to what men shall I liken them", as the Persic version: the phrase "men of this generation", is Rabbinical; so (yvwa awhh ard) , the men of that "generation", are more beautiful in work than these, says the Targumist on ( Ecclesiastes 7:11 ) . "And to what are they like?" To that which follows.

Luke 7:31 In-Context

29 And all the people hearing, and publicans, that had been baptized with the baptism of John, justified God; [And all the people hearing, and publicans, baptized with the baptism of John, justified God;]

30 but the Pharisees and the wise men of the law, that were not baptized of him [forsooth Pharisees and wise men of law, not baptized of him], despised the counsel of God against themselves.

31 And the Lord said, Therefore to whom shall I say men of this generation like, and to whom be they like?

32 They be like to children [They be like children] sitting in the market, and speaking together, and saying, We have sung to you with pipes, and ye have not danced; we have made mourning [we have made lamentation, or mourning], and ye have not wept.

33 For John Baptist came, neither eating bread, nor drinking wine, and ye say, He hath a fiend.