Luke 11 · Verse 27

Luke 11:27

And it came to pass, as he spake these things, a certain woman of the company lifted up her voice, and said unto him, Blessed is the womb that bare thee, and the paps which thou hast sucked.

Luke 11:27, King James Version

Luke 11:27 in other translations

BSB	As Jesus was saying these things, a woman in the crowd raised her voice and said, “Blessed is the womb that bore You, and blessed are the breasts that nursed You!”
WEB	It came to pass, as he said these things, a certain woman out of the multitude lifted up her voice and said to him, “Blessed is the womb that bore you, and the breasts which nursed you!”
ASV	And it came to pass, as he said these things, a certain woman out of the multitude lifted up her voice, and said unto him, Blessed is the womb that bare thee, and the breasts which thou didst suck.
YLT	And it came to pass, in his saying these things, a certain woman having lifted up the voice out of the multitude, said to him, ‘Happy the womb that carried thee, and the paps that thou didst suck!'
DARBY	And it came to pass as he spake these things, a certain woman, lifting up her voice out of the crowd, said to him, Blessed is the womb that has borne thee, and the paps which thou hast sucked.
BBE	And it came about that when he said these things, a certain woman among the people said in a loud voice, Happy is the body which gave you birth, and the breasts from which you took milk.
Webster	And it came to pass, as he was speaking these things, a certain woman of the company lifted up her voice, and said to him, Blessed is the womb that bore thee, and the paps which nourished thee.

What does Luke 11:27 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Luke 11:27-28

27-28. as he spake these things, a ... woman of the company--of the multitude, the crowd. A charming little incident and profoundly instructive. With true womanly feeling, she envies the mother of such a wonderful Teacher. Well, and higher and better than she had said as much before her (Lu 1:28, 42); and our Lord is far from condemning it. He only holds up--as "blessed rather"--the hearers and keepers of God's word; in other words, the humblest real saint of God. (See on Mt 12:49, 50.) How utterly alien is this sentiment from the teaching of the Church of Rome, which would excommunicate any one of its members who dared to talk in the spirit of this glorious saying! (Also see on Mt 12:43.)

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Barnes' Notes

Verses 27,28. A certain woman. One of the crowd.

Verse 27. Blessed is the womb, &c. She thought that the mother of such a person must be peculiarly happy in having such a son.

Yea, rather blessed, c. Jesus admits that she was happy -- it was an honour to be his mother, but he say that the chief happiness, the highest honour, was to obey the word of God. Compared with this, all earthly distinctions and honours are as nothing. Man's greatest dignity is in keeping the holy commandments of God, and in being prepared for heaven. Lk 10:20.

(m) "Blessed" Lk 1:28,48

Albert Barnes, 1834 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary

Verse 27 A certain woman - lifted up her voice, and said - It was very natural for a woman, who was probably a mother, to exclaim thus. She thought that the happiness of the woman who was mother to such a son was great indeed; but our blessed Lord shows her that even the holy virgin could not be benefited by her merely being the mother of his human nature, and that they only were happy who carried Christ in their hearts. True happiness is found in hearing the glad tidings of salvation by Christ Jesus, and keeping them in a holy heart, and practising them in an unblamable life.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Luke 11:27-28

While the scribes and Pharisees despised and blasphemed the discourses of our Lord Jesus, this good woman admired them, and the wisdom and power with which he spake. Christ led the woman to a higher consideration. Though it is a great privilege to hear the word of God, yet those only are truly blessed, that is, blessed of the Lord, that hear it, keep it in memory, and keep to it as their way and rule.

Matthew Henry, 1706 · public domain

Luke 11:27 in the original Greek

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

ἘγένετοEgenetoIt came to passG1096

δὲdethenG1161

ἐνenwhileG1722

τῷtō<the>G3588

λέγεινlegein[is] sayingG3004

αὐτὸνautonHeG846

ταῦτα,tautathese things,G3778

ἐπάρασάeparasahaving lifted upG1869

τιςtisoneG5100

φωνὴνphōnēn[her] voiceG5456

γυνὴgunēa womanG1135

ἐκekfromG1537

τοῦtoutheG3588

ὄχλουochloucrowdG3793

εἶπενeipensaidG2036

αὐτῷ·autōto Him;G846

μακαρίαmakariaBlessed [is]G3107

ἡhētheG3588

κοιλίαkoiliawombG2836

ἡhēwhichG3588

βαστάσασάbastasasahaving borneG941

σε,seYou,G4771

καὶkaiandG2532

μαστοὶmastoi[the] breastsG3149

οὓςhousat whichG3739

ἐθήλασας.ethēlasasYou nursed.G2337

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Luke 11:27

Luke 23:29
For, behold, the days are coming, in the which they shall say, Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bare, and the paps which never gave suck.
Luke 1:42
And she spake out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb.
Luke 1:48
For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden: for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.
Luke 1:28
And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

Blessed.
1:28,42,48

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

Luke 11:26
Then goeth he, and taketh to him seven other spirits more wicked than himself; and they enter in, and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first.
Luke 11:27
And it came to pass, as he spake these things, a certain woman of the company lifted up her voice, and said unto him, Blessed is the womb that bare thee, and the paps which thou hast sucked.
Luke 11:28
But he said, Yea rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it.

Read all of Luke 11

Luke 11:27 in other languages

Spanish Reina-Valera 1909	Y aconteció que diciendo estas cosas, una mujer de la compañía, levantando la voz, le dijo: Bienaventurado el vientre que te trajo, y los pechos que mamaste.
French Bible J.N. Darby 1885	Et il arriva, comme il disait ces choses, qu’une femme éleva sa voix du milieu de la foule et lui dit: Bienheureux est le ventre qui t’a porté, et les mamelles que tu as tétées.
German Elberfelder 1871	Es geschah aber, indem er dies sagte, erhob ein gewisses Weib aus der Volksmenge ihre Stimme und sprach zu ihm: Glückselig der Leib, der dich getragen, und die Brüste, die du gesogen hast!
Latin Clementine Vulgate	Factum est autem, cum hæc diceret: extollens vocem quædam mulier de turba dixit illi: Beatus venter qui te portavit, et ubera quæ suxisti.