Luke 11:31

31 1The queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with the men of this generation and 2condemn them, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, 3something greater than Solomon is here.

Luke 11:31 Meaning and Commentary

Luke 11:31

The queen of the south
That is, the queen of Sheba, which was a country of Arabia, which lay south of Judea; of whom it is said, that

she shall rise up in the judgment with the men of this
generation, and condemn them:
the sense is, that at the last day, when all shall rise from the dead, both Jews and Gentiles, this Heathen queen shall rise together with the men of the present generation among the Jews, stand in judgment with them, and against them; and that her conduct would be brought as an evidence against them, and be improved as an aggravation of their condemnation:

for she came from the uttermost parts of the earth to hear the
wisdom of Solomon, and behold a greater than Solomon is here:
the difference between them, and what aggravates the case is, that she was a Gentile that knew not God, they were Jews, his professing people; she came from afar, they were near, upon the spot, where Christ was, he was preaching in their streets, temple, and synagogues; she came to hear only natural or moral wisdom, but they might have heard spiritual and heavenly wisdom, with which eternal happiness is connected; she came to hear only a mere man, but they might have heard him who is the wisdom of God, and the only wise God, and our Saviour; (See Gill on Matthew 12:42).

Luke 11:31 In-Context

29 When the crowds were increasing, he began to say, "This generation is an evil generation. It seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah.
30 For as Jonah became a sign to the people of Nineveh, so will the Son of Man be to this generation.
31 The queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, something greater than Solomon is here.
32 The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here.
33 "No one after lighting a lamp puts it in a cellar or under a basket, but on a stand, so that those who enter may see the light.

Cross References 3

  • 1. 1 Kings 10:1; 2 Chronicles 9:1
  • 2. Hebrews 11:7; [Jeremiah 3:11; Ezekiel 16:51, 52; Romans 2:27]
  • 3. [Matthew 12:6]
The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.