Bible Strands
Luke 6:24
But woe to you who are rich, for you have already received your comfort.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Jesus pronounces this warning immediately after blessing the persecuted, addressing a mixed crowd to contrast present earthly comfort with future heavenly reward. He uses the same "woe" formula to mark a reversal of values for those who find security in material provision.
The words — οὐαὶ (ouai) = woe and ἀπέχετε (apechete) = you are receiving. The text states that the rich have already obtained their comfort, leaving no future reward pending.
The thread — This warning echoes the danger of misplaced trust in wealth found in Psalms 49:6, the warning against hypocritical self-praise in Matthew 6:2, and the instruction to avoid hope in uncertain riches in 1 Timothy 6:17.
Why it lands — It demands that readers examine whether their present security is a self-contained reward rather than a temporary provision. The text requires a clear-eyed assessment of where comfort is stored and what follows its exhaustion.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Greek words
King James Version
But woe unto you that are rich! for ye have received your consolation.
Cross-references
- Psalms 49:6 They trust in their wealth and boast in their great riches.
- Matthew 6:2 So when you give to the needy, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. Truly I tell you, they already have their full reward.
- 1 Timothy 6:17 Instruct those who are rich in the present age not to be conceited and not to put their hope in the uncertainty of wealth, but in God, who richly provides all things for us to enjoy.
- Psalms 49:16 Do not be afraid when a man grows rich, when the splendor of his house increases.
- James 5:1 Come now, you who are rich, weep and wail over the misery to come upon you.
- Luke 18:23 But when the ruler heard this, he became very sad, because he was extremely wealthy.
- James 2:6 But you have dishonored the poor. Is it not the rich who oppress you and drag you into court?
- Proverbs 1:32 For the waywardness of the simple will slay them, and the complacency of fools will destroy them.
- Amos 6:1 Woe to those at ease in Zion and those secure on Mount Samaria, the distinguished ones of the foremost nation, to whom the house of Israel comes.
- Job 21:7 Why do the wicked live on, growing old and increasing in power?