Luke 7:31

31 And the Lord said: Whereunto then shall I liken the men of this generation? And to 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 And all the people hearing, and the publicans, justified God, being baptized with John’s baptism.

30 But the Pharisees and the lawyers despised the counsel of God against themselves, being not baptized by him.

31 And the Lord said: Whereunto then shall I liken the men of this generation? And to what are they like?

32 They are like to children sitting in the marketplace and speaking one to another and saying: We have piped to you, and you have not danced: we have mourned, and you have not wept.

33 For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine. And you say: He hath a devil.