Chapter

Luke 11:31

ESV 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.
NIV The Queen of the South will rise at the judgment with the people of this generation and condemn them, for she came from the ends of the earth to listen to Solomon’s wisdom; and now something greater than Solomon is here.
NASB The Queen of the South will rise up with the men of this generation at the judgment and condemn them, because she came from the ends of the earth to listen to the wisdom of Solomon; and behold, something greater than Solomon is here.
CSB The queen of the south will rise up at the judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and look—something greater than Solomon is here.
NLT The queen of Sheba will stand up against this generation on judgment day and condemn it, for she came from a distant land to hear the wisdom of Solomon. Now someone greater than Solomon is here — but you refuse to listen.
KJV The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with the men of this generation, and condemn them: for she came from the utmost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here.
NKJV The queen of the South will rise up in 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 indeed a greater than Solomon is here.

What does Luke 11:31 mean?

In Luke 10:12–15, Jesus compared Israelites of His time who denied Him to the Gentiles in nearer cities. This included Chorazin, Tyre, and Sidon, regions which Jesus said would have readily repented had they seen the signs the Jews did (Luke 10:13). Old Testament stories confirm this. Nineveh, capital of the infamously evil Assyrian empire, repented of their sin after Jonah spent one day warning them of God's coming judgment (Jonah 3; Luke 11:30). Now, Jesus adds the "queen of the South:" the Queen of Sheba who came to meet Solomon (1 Kings 10:1–13). When she had experienced examples of his wisdom, she declared, "Blessed be the Lᴏʀᴅ your God, who has delighted in you and set you on the throne of Israel! Because the Lᴏʀᴅ loved Israel forever, he has made you king, that you may execute justice and righteousness" (1 Kings 10:9).

Jesus is taking jabs at the Pharisees and lawyers. They have requested more miraculous signs to prove He is the Messiah after ignoring how He fulfills specific Messianic prophecies, particularly in the book of Isaiah, that no other prophet has performed (Isaiah 35:5–6; Luke 11:14–16; Matthew 12:38). The queen of the South had no such definitive proof. She heard a rumor that a king far away had extraordinary wisdom and traveled to see it for herself. She experienced Solomon's wisdom and saw his riches and immediately determined that he was blessed by His God.

The lawyers, on the other hand, see "something greater:" the miraculous things Jesus is doing and the wisdom He preaches. Yet they respond by declaring His power comes from Satan (Luke 11:14–15). These religious leaders, responsible for leading God's chosen people into proper worship, reject the evidence before their eyes. A Gentile queen, however, became a God-worshiper. Whether literally or rhetorically, she will stand at the last judgment and rightfully declare that her actions were righteous, and the unrepentant lawyers and Pharisees deserve God's wrath. Even more shockingly, she will be joined by the Ninevites who repented of their cruelty when Jonah warned them of coming judgment (Luke 11:32).
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