Luke 21:23 is Jesus warning his disciples that a time of severe suffering is coming upon Jerusalem and its people. Pregnant women and mothers nursing infants are singled out as especially vulnerable in those days, because the judgment will bring great distress and God’s anger against the nation’s unfaithfulness. Jesus speaks this during his final week in Jerusalem, in the Olive Discourse, as he answers his disciples’ questions about the temple and the end of the age.
Woe to those who are pregnant and to those who nurse infants in those days! For there will be great distress in the land, and wrath to this people.
Luke 21:23 (WEB)
What Luke 21:23 Means
The word “woe” is a cry of grief rather than a curse. Jesus is not gloating over anyone. He is expressing sorrow for those who will have the hardest time escaping the coming crisis, because a pregnant woman or a mother with a nursing baby cannot run quickly to the hills. The verse names real, physical hardship for people who are least able to protect themselves.
The phrase “great distress in the land” points to a historical catastrophe that Jesus expects his listeners to recognize. “Wrath to this people” describes the judgment falling on the nation for rejecting God’s visitation through its Messiah. The verse does not promise that individual believers will be spared suffering, nor does it describe a personal punishment for anyone. It describes a national reckoning and the fear and urgency that come with it.
The Context of Luke 21:23
Luke wrote this Gospel for a Gentile reader named Theophilus, most likely a Greek-speaking believer who wanted an orderly account of Jesus’s life. Luke’s version of the Olive Discourse includes details that point to the destruction of Jerusalem by Roman armies in AD 70, which many readers see fulfilled in this passage. Verses 20 and 21 describe Jerusalem surrounded by armies, and verses 24 through 26 continue the picture of a city trampled and a people scattered.
Because the verse sits inside this sequence of warning, it reads less as a timeless statement about pregnancy or infancy and more as a practical instruction within a specific crisis. Jesus tells his followers to flee when they see the signs, and the mention of the vulnerable explains why urgency matters. The surrounding verses keep the focus on the historical moment rather than on distant future speculation.
Key Phrases in Luke 21:23
Matthew 24:19
But woe to those who are with child and to nursing mothers in those days!
(WEB)
Matthew records the same warning about pregnant women and nursing mothers in the parallel Olive Discourse. Reading the two accounts together confirms that Jesus gave this concern real weight in his teaching.
Psalm 46:1
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
(WEB)
This psalm speaks of God as a refuge and strength during times of upheaval. It offers a counterweight to the fear the warning produces, reminding readers where security is found.
A Short Prayer From Luke 21:23
Lord Jesus, you spoke these hard words with tenderness for those who would suffer most. I think of the mothers and the young families who carry burdens I cannot fully see, and I ask you to be near them. When fear rises in me about the future or the troubles in the world, steady my heart and help me act with wisdom and care. Teach me to trust you with what I cannot control and to love the vulnerable people you have placed around me. Amen.
