Mark 13:17 · Bible study
Mark 13:17 Commentary: Woe to Pregnant and Nursing Mothers
Greek · 5 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Learn why Jesus specifically warns pregnant and nursing mothers in Mark 13:17, unpacking the original Greek meaning and the historical context of the
Research Summary
- Meaning: Jesus compassionately laments the extra suffering pregnant and nursing mothers will face during the coming tribulation.
- Key words: “Woe” (οὐαί, grief not curse); “having” and “nursing” (present participles indicating ongoing conditions at the time of flight).
- Main debate: Whether the tribulation refers to the AD 70 destruction of Jerusalem or a future end-times event.
- Theological theme: God’s care for the vulnerable even in the midst of judgment.
- Best use: Pastoral comfort for families facing crises and a call to pray for and support expectant mothers in hard times.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
How miserable those days will be for pregnant and nursing mothers!
WEB World English Bible 2000
But woe to those who are with child and to those who nurse babies in those days!
KJV King James Version 1769
But woe to them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!
ASV American Standard Version 1901
But woe unto them that are with child and to them that give suck in those days!
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
`And woe to those with child, and to those giving suck, in those days;
Darby Darby Bible 1890
But woe to those that are with child and to those that give suck in those days!
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
And woe to them that are with child and that give suck in those days.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Mas ¡ ay de las preñadas|strong="G1722, G1064, G2192", y de las que criaren en aquellos días!
Mas ai das grávidas, e das que amamentarem naqueles dias!
Malheur aux femmes qui seront enceintes et à celles qui allaiteront en ces jours-là!
Weh aber den Schwangeren und Säugerinnen zu der Zeit!
Maar wee den bevruchten en den zogenden vrouwen in die dagen!
Or guai alle donne che saranno incinte ed a quelle che allatteranno in que’ giorni!
Lecz biada brzemiennym i piersiami karmiącym w one dni!
Горе беременным и питающим сосцами в те дни.
當 那些 日子， 懷孕的 和 奶孩子 的有禍了！
And it will be hard for women who are with child and for her who has a baby at the breast in those days.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Koine Greek)
New Testament · Koine Greek · Mark 13:17
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
The supplied commentators agree that this “woe” is not a curse but a compassionate lament for the extra suffering pregnant and nursing women will endure. Gill explains that such women are “very unfit for, and very incapable of fleeing with any haste” due to the burdens of pregnancy, and those nursing cannot leave their children behind without great trouble. Jamieson-Fausset-Brown note the “aggravated suffering which those conditions would involve.” Matthew Henry ties this warning to the larger context of flight from the Roman armies. In the Greek, both “having” (ἐχούσαις) and “nursing” (θηλαζούσαις) are present participles in the dative feminine plural: they describe an ongoing condition at the time of the flight, not a temporary state. The interjection “woe” (οὐαί) expresses grief, not condemnation. This verse is shared concern, not judgment.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Low
What is clear: Jesus compassionately acknowledges the extra hardship that pregnant and nursing mothers would face during the coming tribulation.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Timing of the tribulation | Christians agree this verse refers to a time of great suffering that came or will come. | Some see it as fulfilled in the AD 70 Roman siege; others see it as still future global tribulation. |
| Nature of the ‘woe’ | It expresses grief, not a condemning curse. | Some read it as a prophetic warning of inevitable suffering; others emphasize it as a lament of compassion from Jesus. |
| Application to mothers today | It calls us to care for vulnerable women in crises. | Some caution against having children in unstable times; others stress that God’s compassion includes practical support, not a command to avoid motherhood. |
| Relevance to modern discipleship | Following Christ may involve unique costs for families. | How to balance readiness for suffering with normal family life is a matter of wisdom, debated among Christians. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Mark 13 is Jesus’ prophecy of the destruction of the temple and the tribulation that will precede it. Matthew Henry connects this directly to the Roman siege of Jerusalem (AD 66, 70), when the Jews’ rebellion brought ruin. Jesus draws on the Old Testament tradition: Deuteronomy 28:56, 57 describes the “tender and delicate woman” who, during siege, would eat her own children. Lamentations repeatedly cries out for nursing infants and mothers suffering during Babylon’s destruction (Lam 2:19, 20; 4:3, 4, 10). In first-century Palestine, escape meant fleeing on foot to the mountains (Mark 13:14). Pregnant women moved slowly. Nursing mothers faced an impossible choice: leave the baby to die or stay and be captured. The “woe” reflects the practical vulnerability of women in these conditions. Jesus adds in verse 18 a call to pray that flight not be in winter, showing His concern for the most basic obstacles. This verse is not a blanket curse on motherhood but a recognition that judgment hits the most vulnerable hardest.
Textual Notes
The consulted sources note no significant textual variants for this verse. The Greek text is stable across major manuscripts, and commentators do not discuss variant readings here.
Reception History
Throughout church history, this verse has been read as a sobering reminder that trial hits the vulnerable hardest. Early Christian tradition saw it as a prophecy fulfilled in the Roman destruction of Jerusalem. During the Reformation, commentators like Matthew Henry and John Gill focused on the literal conditions of flight and the pastoral compassion of Christ. The cross-references to Lamentations and Deuteronomy have connected this warning to the whole biblical theme of judgment and mercy. In modern times, the verse is also applied to situations of persecution and disaster where the vulnerable suffer most, prompting prayer and practical care for mothers in danger.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- Jesus sees the vulnerable. He names those who cannot move quickly or leave their children. The present participles show He pictures women in the very moment of trying to flee.
- What is normally a blessing becomes a burden. Pregnancy and nursing are gifts, but in extreme crisis they increase suffering. This is not God’s curse on motherhood; it is the tragic reality of a fallen world under judgment.
- The call to pray. Jesus immediately tells His hearers to pray that their flight not be in winter. Even in the worst trial, God cares about practical details. Prayer is not a last resort; it is the appropriate response to coming hardship.
Five-point outline
- The setting: Jesus warns about the abomination of desolation and the need for immediate flight (Mark 13:14, 16).
- The specific burden: Pregnant and nursing mothers cannot flee with speed or ease, as Gill notes.
- The Old Testament echo: Deuteronomy 28 and Lamentations show that siege brings desperate suffering upon mothers and infants.
- The compassion of Christ: He does not simply warn; He names the hardest case and laments it.
- The hope: Even in judgment, God shortens the days for the elect (v.20). The church is called to care for the vulnerable in every crisis.
Illustration hooks
- A mother with a newborn trying to evacuate a hurricane zone, carrying a diaper bag and a car seat, unable to run.
- A pregnant woman in a war zone facing a check point with armed soldiers, unable to show her belly without becoming a target.
- The gut-wrenching choice a nursing mother makes every time she must leave her baby to flee: stay and risk both, or go and leave the infant behind.
Questions your congregation is asking
- “Does this verse mean God doesn’t care about mothers?”
- “How do we prepare spiritually for hard times if we have small children?”
- “Was this warning only for first-century Jerusalem, or does it apply to end-times tribulation too?”
Leading a Discussion
This verse sits in the middle of Jesus’ Olivet Discourse, where He warns His disciples about the coming destruction of Jerusalem. His mention of pregnant and nursing mothers can feel harsh. Yet the Greek interjection “woe” (οὐαί) is a cry of grief, not a curse. Jesus is not condemning these women; He is lamenting the particular hardship they will face. This group discussion explores how we read such a verse and what it says about God’s heart for the vulnerable.
Discussion questions
- What is your first emotional reaction to Jesus’ words in verse 17? Why does this verse stand out in the middle of the discourse?
- What does the Greek word “οὐαί” (woe) actually mean in this context? How does that shape our understanding of Jesus’ tone?
- Look at the cross-references from Deuteronomy 28 and Lamentations. How do those Old Testament passages prepare us for Jesus’ warning?
- In what ways would being pregnant or nursing make flight during the Roman siege nearly impossible? How does that connect to Jesus’ call to pray for winter travel in verse 18?
- Does this verse imply that having children in times of trial is foolish or that God is especially compassionate toward mothers? Defend your view from the text.
- How should this warning shape the way our church cares for expectant mothers and families in seasons of crisis (whether personal, national, or global)?
- Jesus ends the discourse with a call to stay alert. What does this verse teach us about the cost of discipleship for parents, and how can we support one another in staying faithful?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Deuteronomy 28:56 | The tender and delicate woman among you, who would not venture to set the sole of her foot on the ground for delicateness and tenderness, her eye will be evil toward the husband that she loves, toward her son, toward her daughter, |
| Deuteronomy 28:57 | toward her young one who comes out from between her feet, and toward her children whom she bears; for she will eat them secretly for lack of all things in the siege and in the distress with which your enemy will distress you in your gates. |
| Lamentations 2:19 | Arise, cry out in the night, at the beginning of the watches! Pour out your heart like water before the face of the Lord. Lift up your hands toward him for the life of your young children, who faint for hunger at the head of every street. |
| Lamentations 2:20 | “Look, Yahweh, and see to whom you have done thus! Should the women eat their offspring, the children that they held and bounced on their knees? Should the priest and the prophet be killed in the sanctuary of the Lord? |
| Lamentations 4:3 | Even the jackals offer their breast. They nurse their young ones. But the daughter of my people has become cruel, like the ostriches in the wilderness. |
| Lamentations 4:4 | The tongue of the nursing child clings to the roof of his mouth for thirst. The young children ask for bread, and no one breaks it for them. |
| Lamentations 4:10 | The hands of the pitiful women have boiled their own children. They were their food in the destruction of the daughter of my people. |
| Hosea 9:14 | Give them—Yahweh what will you give? Give them a miscarrying womb and dry breasts. |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
3 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva annotation emphasizes that the coming tribulation will hit pregnant and nursing women especially hard, adding a layer of physical vulnerability to the general distress of those days.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill points out that pregnant women and nursing mothers face unique dangers in times of crisis. Their physical condition makes swift flight nearly impossible, and caring for infants would slow them down, leaving them vulnerable to the enemy.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB observes that the phrase "woe to them" could also be read as "alas for them," a lament rather than a pronouncement of judgment. The suffering of pregnant and nursing women in those days would be intensified simply because their physical condition adds hardship to an already terrible time.