Luke 23:30 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Then they will begin to say to the mountains, ‘Fall on us,’ and to the hills, ‘Cover us.’

NIV: Then " ‘they will say to the mountains, "Fall on us!" and to the hills, "Cover us!" ’

NASB: Then they will begin TO SAY TO THE MOUNTAINS, ‘FALL ON US,’ AND TO THE HILLS, ‘COVER US.’

CSB: Then they will begin to say to the mountains, ‘Fall on us!’ and to the hills, ‘Cover us!’

NLT: People will beg the mountains, ‘Fall on us,’ and plead with the hills, ‘Bury us.’

KJV: Then shall they begin to say to the mountains, Fall on us; and to the hills, Cover us.

NKJV: Then they will begin ‘to say to the mountains, “Fall on us!” and to the hills, “Cover us!” ’

A crowd follows Jesus as He makes His way to the cross, carrying the beam to which He will be nailed. He is apparently weakened enough by the beatings that another man is forced to carry this partway through. That gives Him the freedom to respond to a group of women who mourn and lament for His fate (Luke 23:26–27).

Jesus tells them not to mourn for Him but instead for themselves and their children (Luke 23:28). There will come a day when God's blessing will be seen as a curse. Women will consider themselves lucky if they are infertile. Their non-existent children won't face the horrors they will (Luke 23:29). Jesus spoke about this earlier to a handful of disciples (Luke 21:20–24).

Now, He references God's warning to Israel. Because of their idolatry,

"The high places of Aven, the sin of Israel,
shall be destroyed.
Thorn and thistle shall grow up
on their altars,
and they shall say to the mountains, 'Cover us,'
and to the hills, 'Fall on us'" (Hosea 10:8).

This may refer to Jerusalem's destruction in AD 70. Yet it is also a preview of the sixth seal. The seven seals are judgments that will come upon the earth during the tribulation. John describes what he sees:

Then the kings of the earth and the great ones and the generals and the rich and the powerful, and everyone, slave and free, hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains, calling to the mountains and rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?" (Revelation 6:15–17)

If Jesus is speaking of the tribulation, these women will be long gone. Even if He is giving a dual-fulfillment prophecy that includes the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70, these women would no longer be bearing children. The warning applies to all daughters of Jerusalem for both times. Jesus' situation, as horrible as it is, will bring grace, freedom, and reconciliation with God. In the future, the women's situation will be judgment and the wrath of God.

Luke 23 records the remaining trials, death, and burial of Jesus Christ. He is examined by the Roman governor and the local appointed King, neither of whom are interested in passing a death sentence. Local religious leaders incite the crowd, pressuring the governor, Pilate, to authorize crucifixion. Jesus accepts the faith of another condemned man and dies. Joseph of Arimathea asks for Jesus body and buries it in a tomb cut from rock.

Luke 23 records Jesus' civil trials, crucifixion, and burial. The members of the Sanhedrin have put Jesus through three trials in their attempt to convince Pilate He's a threat (Luke 22:47–71). Their case is weak, but their political influence is powerful enough to force Pilate's hand. Jesus is executed. Three days after Joseph of Arimathea buries Jesus, Jesus reappears on the road to Emmaus where He explains Messianic prophecies in Jewish Scriptures. After spending time with His followers, Jesus ascends into heaven (Luke 24) and the disciples build the church (Acts).

Luke was a traveling companion of Paul (Acts 16:10) and a physician (Colossians 4:14). Unlike Matthew, Mark, and John, Luke writes his gospel as an historian, rather than as a first-hand eyewitness. His extensive writings also include the book of Acts (Acts 1:1–3). These are deliberately organized, carefully researched accounts of those events. The gospel of Luke focuses on the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ. Luke's Gentile perspective presents Christ as a Savior for all people, offering both forgiveness and direction to those who follow Him.