Matthew 24:19

Matthew 24:19, in plain English

Jesus' heart breaks for pregnant women and nursing mothers during that time. They'll have the hardest time fleeing, and He feels deeply for their suffering.

Why it's here

This shows Jesus' tender concern for the most vulnerable people. Even while prophesying about massive events, He thinks about individual mothers and babies.

Who's speaking

Jesus speaks with genuine grief and compassion for those who will suffer most.

Where it sits in the story

In the middle of talking about world-shaking events, Jesus pauses to think about moms with babies. That's who He is — someone who never forgets the vulnerable.

The scholarly reading

Jesus expresses compassion (ouai, here as an expression of grief rather than judgment) for pregnant women (gastri echousais) and nursing mothers (thēlazousais) who cannot flee quickly. Their physical condition makes escape particularly difficult and dangerous.

Language and setting

Josephus records the horrific suffering of women and children during the siege of Jerusalem, including accounts of starvation so severe that a mother consumed her own infant (Wars 6.3.4).

Voice

Jesus speaks with tender compassion for the most vulnerable members of society during the coming catastrophe.

Significance

Jesus' heart goes out to the most vulnerable. Pregnant and nursing women cannot run fast or travel far. His grief for their suffering reveals His deep humanity.

17Let no one on the housetop come down to retrieve anything from his house.

18And let no one in the field return for his cloak.

19How miserable those days will be for pregnant and nursing mothers!

20Pray that your flight will not occur in the winter or on the Sabbath.

21For at that time there will be great tribulation, unseen from the beginning of the world until now, and never to be seen again.

Read all of Matthew 24 — The disciples ask when the end will come. Jesus answers with wars, earthquakes, and a warning: stay awake, because no one knows the hour.