Luke 7:31

31 The Lord said, "To what then will I liken the men of this generation? What are 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 When all the people and the tax collectors heard this, they justified God, being immersed with Yochanan's immersion.

30 But the Perushim and the lawyers rejected the counsel of God, not being immersed by him themselves.

31 The Lord said, "To what then will I liken the men of this generation? What are they like?

32 They are like children who sit in the marketplace, and call one to another, saying, 'We piped to you, and you didn't dance. We mourned, and you didn't weep.'

33 For Yochanan the immerser came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, 'He has a demon.'