Lukas 19:41-44

Jesus Weeps for Jerusalem under Judgment

19:41 Now ¹  when Jesus ²  approached ³  and saw the city, he wept over it, 19:42 saying, “If you had only known on this day, ⁴  even you, the things that make for peace! ⁵  But now they are hidden ⁶  from your eyes. 19:43 For the days will come upon you when your enemies will build ⁷  an embankment ⁸  against you and surround you and close in on you from every side. 19:44 They will demolish you ⁹  – you and your children within your walls ¹⁰  – and they will not leave within you one stone ¹¹  on top of another, ¹²  because you did not recognize the time of your visitation from God.” ¹³ 

Lukas 21:5-6

The Signs of the End of the Age

21:5 Now ¹⁴  while some were speaking about the temple, how it was adorned ¹⁵  with beautiful stones and offerings, ¹⁶  Jesus ¹⁷  said, 21:6 “As for these things that you are gazing at, the days will come when not one stone will be left on another. ¹⁸  All will be torn down!” ¹⁹ 

Lukas 21:20-24

The Desolation of Jerusalem

21:20 “But when you see Jerusalem ²⁰  surrounded ²¹  by armies, then know that its ²²  desolation ²³  has come near. 21:21 Then those who are in Judea must flee ²⁴  to the mountains. Those ²⁵  who are inside the city must depart. Those ²⁶  who are out in the country must not enter it, 21:22 because these are days of vengeance, ²⁷  to fulfill ²⁸  all that is written. 21:23 Woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing their babies in those days! For there will be great distress ²⁹  on the earth and wrath against this people. 21:24 They ³⁰  will fall by the edge ³¹  of the sword and be led away as captives ³²  among all nations. Jerusalem ³³  will be trampled down by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled. ³⁴ 

[19:41]  ¹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic.

[19:41]  ² tn Grk “he.”

[19:41]  ³ sn When Jesus approached and saw the city. This is the last travel note in Luke’s account (the so-called Jerusalem journey), as Jesus approached and saw the city before entering it.

[19:42]  ⁴ sn On this day. They had missed the time of Messiah’s coming; see v. 44.

[19:42]  ⁵ tn Grk “the things toward peace.” This expression seems to mean “the things that would ‘lead to,’ ‘bring about,’ or ‘make for’ peace.”

[19:42]  ⁶ sn But now they are hidden from your eyes. This becomes an oracle of doom in the classic OT sense; see Luke 13:31-35; 11:49-51; Jer 9:2; 13:7; 14:7. They are now blind and under judgment (Jer 15:5; Ps 122:6).

[19:43]  ⁷ sn Jesus now predicted the events that would be fulfilled in the fall of Jerusalem in a.d. 70. The details of the siege have led some to see Luke writing this after Jerusalem’s fall, but the language of the verse is like God’s exilic judgment for covenant unfaithfulness (Hab 2:8; Jer 6:6, 14; 8:13-22; 9:1; Ezek 4:2; 26:8; Isa 29:1-4). Specific details are lacking and the procedures described (build an embankment against you) were standard Roman military tactics.

[19:43]  ⁸ sn An embankment refers to either wooden barricades or earthworks, or a combination of the two.

[19:44]  ⁹ tn Grk “They will raze you to the ground.”

[19:44]  sn The singular pronoun you refers to the city of Jerusalem personified.

[19:44]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “your children within you.” The phrase “[your] walls” has been supplied in the translation to clarify that the city of Jerusalem, metaphorically pictured as an individual, is spoken of here.

[19:44]  ¹¹ sn (Not) one stone on top of another is an idiom for total destruction.

[19:44]  ¹² tn Grk “leave stone on stone.”

[19:44]  ¹³ tn Grk “the time of your visitation.” To clarify what this refers to, the words “from God” are supplied at the end of the verse, although they do not occur in the Greek text.

[19:44]  sn You did not recognize the time of your visitation refers to the time God came to visit them. They had missed the Messiah; see Luke 1:68-79.

[21:5]  ¹⁴ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic.

[21:5]  ¹⁵ sn The Jerusalem temple was widely admired around the world. See Josephus, Ant. 15.11 (15.380-425); J. W. 5.5 (5.184-227) and Tacitus, History 5.8, who called it “immensely opulent.” Josephus compared it to a beautiful snowcapped mountain.

[21:5]  ¹⁶ tn For the translation of ἀνάθημα (anaqhma) as “offering” see L&N 53.18.

[21:5]  ¹⁷ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[21:6]  ¹⁸ sn With the statement days will come when not one stone will be left on another Jesus predicted the total destruction of the temple, something that did occur in a.d. 70.

[21:6]  ¹⁹ tn Grk “the days will come when not one stone will be left on another that will not be thrown down.”

[21:20]  ²⁰ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[21:20]  ²¹ sn See Luke 19:41-44. This passage refers to the events associated with the fall of Jerusalem, when the city is surrounded by armies.

[21:20]  ²² tn Grk “her,” referring to the city of Jerusalem (the name “Jerusalem” in Greek is a feminine noun).

[21:20]  ²³ sn The phrase its desolation is a reference to the fall of the city, which is the only antecedent present in Luke’s account. The parallels to this in Matt 24:15 and Mark 13:14 refer to the temple’s desolation, though Matthew’s allusion is clearer. They focus on the parallel events of the end, not on the short term realization in a.d. 70. The entire passage has a prophetic “two events in one” typology, where the near term destruction (a.d. 70) is like the end. So the evangelists could choose to focus on the near time realization (Luke) or on its long term fulfillment, which mirrors it (Matthew, Mark).

[21:21]  ²⁴ sn Fleeing to the mountains is a key OT image: Gen 19:17; Judg 6:2; Isa 15:5; Jer 16:16; Zech 14:5.

[21:21]  ²⁵ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[21:21]  ²⁶ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[21:22]  ²⁷ tn Or “of punishment.” This is a time of judgment.

[21:22]  ²⁸ tn The passive construction with the infinitive πλησθῆναι (plhsqhnai) has been translated as an active construction for simplicity, in keeping with contemporary English style.

[21:23]  ²⁹ sn Great distress means that this is a period of great judgment.

[21:24]  ³⁰ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[21:24]  ³¹ tn Grk “by the mouth of the sword” (an idiom for the edge of a sword).

[21:24]  ³² sn Here is the predicted judgment against the nation until the time of Gentile rule has passed: Its people will be led away as captives.

[21:24]  ³³ tn Grk “And Jerusalem.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[21:24]  ³⁴ sn Until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled implies a time when Israel again has a central role in God’s plan.