Lukas 11:47-51

11:47 Woe to you! You build ¹  the tombs of the prophets whom your ancestors ²  killed. 11:48 So you testify that you approve of ³  the deeds of your ancestors, ⁴  because they killed the prophets ⁵  and you build their ⁶  tombs! ⁷  11:49 For this reason also the wisdom ⁸  of God said, ‘I will send them prophets and apostles, some of whom they will kill and persecute,’ 11:50 so that this generation may be held accountable ⁹  for the blood of all the prophets that has been shed since the beginning ¹⁰  of the world, ¹¹  11:51 from the blood of Abel ¹²  to the blood of Zechariah, ¹³  who was killed ¹⁴  between the altar and the sanctuary. ¹⁵  Yes, I tell you, it will be charged against ¹⁶  this generation.

Lukas 13:33-34

13:33 Nevertheless I must ¹⁷  go on my way today and tomorrow and the next day, because it is impossible ¹⁸  that a prophet should be killed ¹⁹  outside Jerusalem.’ ²⁰  13:34 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, ²¹  you who kill the prophets and stone those who are sent to you! ²²  How often I have longed ²³  to gather your children together as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but ²⁴  you would have none of it! ²⁵ 

[11:47]  ¹ sn The effect of what the experts in the law were doing was to deny the message of the prophets and thus honor their death by supporting those who had sought their removal. The charge that this is what previous generations did shows the problem is chronic. As T. W. Manson said, the charge here is “The only prophet you honor is a dead prophet!” (The Sayings of Jesus, 101).

[11:47]  ² tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”

[11:48]  ³ tn Grk “you are witnesses and approve of.”

[11:48]  ⁴ tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”

[11:48]  ⁵ tn Grk “them”; the referent (the prophets) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[11:48]  ⁶ tn “Their,” i.e., the prophets.

[11:48]  ⁷ tc The majority of mss list a specific object (“their tombs”), filling out the sentence (although there are two different words for “tombs” among the mss, as well as different word orders: αὐτῶν τὰ μνημεῖα (autwn ta mnhmeia; found in A C W Θ Ψ 33 Ï) and τοὺς τάφους αὐτῶν (tou" tafou" autwn; found in Ë^1,[13] 2542 pc). This suggests that early copyists had no term in front of them but felt the verb needed an object. But since a wide distribution of early Alexandrian and Western mss lack these words (Ì⁷⁵ א B D L 579 1241 it sa), it is likely that they were not part of the original text of Luke. Nevertheless, the words “their tombs” are inserted in the translation because of requirements of English style.

[11:49]  ⁸ sn The expression the wisdom of God is a personification of an attribute of God that refers to his wise will.

[11:50]  ⁹ tn Or “that this generation may be charged with”; or “the blood of all the prophets… may be required from this generation.” This is a warning of judgment. These people are responsible for the shedding of prophetic blood.

[11:50]  ¹⁰ tn Or “foundation.” However, this does not suggest a time to the modern reader.

[11:50]  ¹¹ tn The order of the clauses in this complicated sentence has been rearranged to simplify it for the modern reader.

[11:51]  ¹² sn Gen 4:10 indicates that Abel’s blood cried out for justice.

[11:51]  ¹³ sn It is not clear which Zechariah is meant here. It is probably the person mentioned in 2 Chr 24:20-25.

[11:51]  ¹⁴ tn Or “who perished.”

[11:51]  ¹⁵ tn Or “and the temple”; Grk “and the house,” but in this context a reference to the house of God as a place of sanctuary.

[11:51]  ¹⁶ tn Or “required from.”

[13:33]  ¹⁷ tn This is the frequent expression δεῖ (dei, “it is necessary”) that notes something that is a part of God’s plan.

[13:33]  ¹⁸ tn Or “unthinkable.” See L&N 71.4 for both possible meanings.

[13:33]  ¹⁹ tn Or “should perish away from.”

[13:33]  ²⁰ sn Death in Jerusalem is another key theme in Luke’s material: 7:16, 34; 24:19; Acts 3:22-23. Notice that Jesus sees himself in the role of a prophet here. Jesus’ statement, it is impossible that a prophet should be killed outside Jerusalem, is filled with irony; Jesus, traveling about in Galilee (most likely), has nothing to fear from Herod; it is his own people living in the very center of Jewish religion and worship who present the greatest danger to his life. The underlying idea is that Jerusalem, though she stands at the very heart of the worship of God, often kills the prophets God sends to her (v. 34). In the end, Herod will be much less a threat than Jerusalem.

[13:33]  map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[13:34]  ²¹ sn The double use of the city’s name betrays intense emotion.

[13:34]  ²² tn Although the opening address (“Jerusalem, Jerusalem”) is direct (second person), the remainder of this sentence in the Greek text is third person (“who kills the prophets and stones those sent to her”). The following sentences then revert to second person (“your… you”), so to keep all this consistent in English, the third person pronouns in the present verse were translated as second person (“you who kill… sent to you”).

[13:34]  ²³ sn How often I have longed to gather your children. Jesus, like a lamenting prophet, speaks for God here, who longed to care tenderly for Israel and protect her.

[13:34]  ²⁴ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.

[13:34]  ²⁵ tn Grk “you were not willing.”