The Meaning of Luke 23:28 Explained

Luke 23:28

KJV: But Jesus turning unto them said, Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for me, but weep for yourselves, and for your children.

YLT: and Jesus having turned unto them, said, 'Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for me, but for yourselves weep ye, and for your children;

Darby: And Jesus turning round to them said, Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep over me, but weep over yourselves and over your children;

ASV: But Jesus turning unto them said, Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for me, but weep for yourselves, and for your children.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

But  Jesus  turning  unto  them  said,  Daughters  of Jerusalem,  weep  not  for  me,  but  weep  for  yourselves,  and  for  your  children. 

What does Luke 23:28 Mean?

Context Summary

Luke 23:26-34 - "they Crucified The Lord Of Glory"
Simon's two sons are believed to have become Christians. See Mark 15:21, Romans 16:13. Perhaps this strange interruption in his ordinary experiences led to the whole household becoming Christian. Jesus and he bore the cross together. So later, Symeon of Cambridge, who was much reviled for his evangelical principles, loved to think that he and Christ were suffering together.
Ever more thoughtful for others than for Himself, the Lord seemed to forget His griefs that He might address warnings and entreaties to these poor women, Luke 23:28. He was the young green tree in the forest glade, consumed in the awful heat of divine burnings, while they and theirs were the dry wood, which would soon crackle in the overthrow of their city.
On the cross our Lord became immediately the high priest, pleading for the great world and for His own; and He has never ceased since. See Hebrews 7:25. Sins of ignorance are placed in a different category from those of presumption; See 1 Timothy 1:13, 1 John 5:16. The answer to that prayer, Luke 23:34, was given on the day of Pentecost. [source]

Chapter Summary: Luke 23

1  Jesus is accused before Pilate, and sent to Herod
8  Herod mocks him
12  Herod and Pilate become friends
13  Barabbas is desired of the people,
24  and is released by Pilate, and Jesus is given to be crucified
26  He tells the women, that lament him, the destruction of Jerusalem;
34  prays for his enemies
39  Two criminals are crucified with him
46  His death
50  His burial

Greek Commentary for Luke 23:28

Turning [στραπεις]
Luke is fond of this second aorist passive participle of στρεπω — strephō (Luke 7:9, Luke 7:44, Luke 9:55, Luke 10:23). If he had been still carrying the Cross, he could not have made this dramatic gesture. [source]
Weep not [μη κλαιετε]
Present active imperative with μη — mē Stop weeping. [source]

Reverse Greek Commentary Search for Luke 23:28

John 19:19 Pilate wrote a title also [εγραπσεν και τιτλον ο Πειλατος]
Only John tells us that Pilate himself wrote it and John alone uses the technical Latin word titlon (several times in inscriptions), for the board with the name of the criminal and the crime in which he is condemned; Mark (Mark 15:26) and Luke (Luke 23:28) use επιγραπη — epigraphē (superscription). Matthew (Matthew 27:37) has simply αιτιαν — aitian (accusation). The inscription in John is the fullest of the four and has all in any of them save the words “this is” (ουτος εστιν — houtos estin) in Matthew 27:37. [source]

What do the individual words in Luke 23:28 mean?

Having turned then to them - Jesus said Daughters of Jerusalem not weep for Me but for yourselves and for the children of you
στραφεὶς δὲ πρὸς αὐτὰς ‹ὁ› Ἰησοῦς εἶπεν Θυγατέρες Ἰερουσαλήμ μὴ κλαίετε ἐπ’ ἐμέ πλὴν ἐφ’ ἑαυτὰς καὶ ἐπὶ τὰ τέκνα ὑμῶν

στραφεὶς  Having  turned 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Participle Passive, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: στρέφω  
Sense: to turn, turn around.
‹ὁ›  - 
Parse: Article, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
Ἰησοῦς  Jesus 
Parse: Noun, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: Ἰησοῦς  
Sense: Joshua was the famous captain of the Israelites, Moses’ successor.
εἶπεν  said 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: λέγω  
Sense: to speak, say.
Θυγατέρες  Daughters 
Parse: Noun, Vocative Feminine Plural
Root: θυγάτηρ  
Sense: a daughter.
Ἰερουσαλήμ  of  Jerusalem 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Feminine Singular
Root: Ἰερουσαλήμ  
Sense: denotes either the city itself or the inhabitants.
κλαίετε  weep 
Parse: Verb, Present Imperative Active, 2nd Person Plural
Root: κλαίω  
Sense: to mourn, weep, lament.
ἐμέ  Me 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Accusative 1st Person Singular
Root: ἐγώ  
Sense: I, me, my.
ἑαυτὰς  yourselves 
Parse: Reflexive Pronoun, Accusative Feminine 3rd Person Plural
Root: ἑαυτοῦ  
Sense: himself, herself, itself, themselves.
τέκνα  children 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Neuter Plural
Root: τέκνον  
Sense: offspring, children.
ὑμῶν  of  you 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Genitive 2nd Person Plural
Root: σύ  
Sense: you.