Luke 11 · Verse 44

Luke 11:44

Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are as graves which appear not, and the men that walk over them are not aware of them.
Luke 11:44, King James Version

Luke 11:44 in other translations

BSBWoe to you! For you are like unmarked graves, which men walk over without even noticing.”
WEBWoe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like hidden graves, and the men who walk over them don’t know it.”
ASVWoe unto you! for ye are as the tombs which appear not, and the men that walk over them know it not.
YLT‘Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because ye are as the unseen tombs, and the men walking above have not known.'
DARBYWoe unto you, for ye are as the sepulchres which appear not, and the men walking over them do not know it.
BBEA curse is on you! for you are like the resting-places of dead men, which are not seen, and men go walking over them without knowledge of it.
WebsterWoe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are as graves which appear not, and the men that walk over them are not aware of them.

What does Luke 11:44 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
44. appear not, &c.--As one might unconsciously walk over a grave concealed from view, and thus contract ceremonial defilement, so the plausible exterior of the Pharisees kept people from perceiving the pollution they contracted from coming in contact with such corrupt characters. (See Psa 5:9; Ro 3:13; a different illustration from Mt 23:27).

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

Barnes' Notes
Verses 43,44. See Mt 23:6,27

Verse 44.

(d) "as graves which appear not" Ps 5:9

Albert Barnes, 1834 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 44 Ye are as graves which appear not - In Mat 23:27, our Lord tells them that they exactly resembled white-washed tombs: they had no fairness but on the outside: (see the note there) but here he says they are like hidden tombs, graves which were not distinguished by any outward decorations, and were not elevated above the ground, so that those who walked over them did not consider what corruption was within; so they, under the veil of hypocrisy, covered their iniquities, so that those who had any intercourse or connection with them did not perceive what accomplished knaves they had to do with.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Luke 11:37-54

We should all look to our hearts, that they may be cleansed and new-created; and while we attend to the great things of the law and of the gospel, we must not neglect the smallest matter God has appointed. When any wait to catch something out of our mouths, that they may insnare us, O Lord, give us thy prudence and thy patience, and disappoint their evil purposes. Furnish us with such meekness and patience that we…

Read the full comment on Luke 11:37-54 →

Luke 11:44 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.

ΟὐαὶOuaiWoeG3759
ὑμῖνhuminto youG4771
γραμματεῖςgrammateisscribesG1122
καὶkaiandG2532
ΦαρισαῖοιPharisaioiPhariseesG5330
ὑποκριταί,hupokritaihypocritesG5273
ὅτιhotiforG3754
ἐστὲesteyou areG1510
ὡςhōslikeG5613
τὰta<the>G3588
μνημεῖαmnēmeiagravesG3419
τὰta<the>G3588
ἄδηλα,adēlaunmarked,G82
καὶkaiandG2532
οἱhoitheG3588
ἄνθρωποιanthrōpoimenG444
οἱhoiwhoG3588
περιπατοῦντεςperipatountesare walkingG4043
ἐπάνωepanōaboveG1883
οὐκouknotG3756
οἴδασιν.¶oidasindo know [it].

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

Cross references for Luke 11:44

  • Matthew 23:27-28

    Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness. Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.

  • Acts 23:3

    Then said Paul unto him, God shall smite thee, thou whited wall: for sittest thou to judge me after the law, and commandest me to be smitten contrary to the law?

  • Psalms 5:9

    For there is no faithfulness in their mouth; their inward part is very wickedness; their throat is an open sepulchre; they flatter with their tongue.

  • Numbers 19:16

    And whosoever toucheth one that is slain with a sword in the open fields, or a dead body, or a bone of a man, or a grave, shall be unclean seven days.

  • Hosea 9:8

    The watchman of Ephraim was with my God: but the prophet is a snare of a fowler in all his ways, and hatred in the house of his God.

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

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
for.
Nu 19:16; Ps 5:9; Ho 9:8; Mt 23:27,28; Ac 23:3

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

Context

  • Luke 11:43

    Woe unto you, Pharisees! for ye love the uppermost seats in the synagogues, and greetings in the markets.

  • Luke 11:44

    Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are as graves which appear not, and the men that walk over them are not aware of them.

  • Luke 11:45

    Then answered one of the lawyers, and said unto him, Master, thus saying thou reproachest us also.

Read all of Luke 11

Luke 11:44 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		¡Ay de vosotros, escribas y Fariseos, hipócritas! que sois como sepulcros que no se ven, y los hombres que andan encima no lo saben.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Malheur à vous! car vous êtes comme les sépulcres qui ne paraissent pas; et les hommes, marchant dessus, n’en savent rien.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Wehe euch! denn ihr seid wie die Grüfte, die verborgen sind, und die Menschen, die darüber wandeln, wissen es nicht.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Væ vobis, quia estis ut monumenta, quæ non apparent, et homines ambulantes supra, nesciunt.