Matthew 23:37

Judgment on Israel

23:37 “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, ¹  you who kill the prophets and stone those who are sent to you! ²  How often I have longed ³  to gather your children together as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but ⁴  you would have none of it! ⁵ 

Luke 13:34

13:34 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, ⁶  you who kill the prophets and stone those who are sent to you! ⁷  How often I have longed ⁸  to gather your children together as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but ⁹  you would have none of it! ¹⁰ 

Luke 19:44

19:44 They will demolish you ¹¹  – you and your children within your walls ¹²  – and they will not leave within you one stone ¹³  on top of another, ¹⁴  because you did not recognize the time of your visitation from God.” ¹⁵ 

¹ sn The double use of the city’s name betrays intense emotion.

² 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”).

³ 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.

⁴ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.

⁵ tn Grk “you were not willing.”

⁶ sn The double use of the city’s name betrays intense emotion.

⁷ 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”).

⁸ 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.

⁹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.

¹⁰ tn Grk “you were not willing.”

¹¹ tn Grk “They will raze you to the ground.”

¹² 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.

¹³ sn (Not) one stone on top of another is an idiom for total destruction.

¹⁴ tn Grk “leave stone on stone.”

¹⁵ 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.