Bible Strands
Matthew 11:17
‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not mourn.’
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Jesus addresses the crowd in Galilee, using a marketplace scene to illustrate their rejection of both John the Baptist and Himself.
The words — The Greek ἠυλῆσαμεν (ēulēsamēn) translates literally as “we piped,” and ἐθρηνήσαμεν (ethrēnēsamēn) means “we sang a dirge,” emphasizing the speakers’ deliberate actions.
The thread — This metaphor of unresponsive listeners appears in Isaiah 28:9 and Jeremiah 9:17, while Isaiah 30:29 provides the contrasting image of festival rejoicing to flute music.
Why it lands — The passage requires readers to acknowledge that divine messengers have already provided clear opportunities for response, leaving no excuse for continued rejection.
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
And saying, We have piped unto you, and ye have not danced; we have mourned unto you, and ye have not lamented.
Cross-references
- Isaiah 28:9 Whom is He trying to teach? To whom is He explaining His message? To infants just weaned from milk? To babies removed from the breast?
- Isaiah 30:29 You will sing as on the night of a holy festival, and your heart will rejoice like one who walks to the music of a flute, going up to the mountain of the LORD, to the Rock of Israel.
- Jeremiah 9:17 This is what the LORD of Hosts says: “Take note, and summon the wailing women; send for the most skillful among them.
- Jeremiah 31:4 Again I will build you, and you will be rebuilt, O Virgin Israel. Again you will take up your tambourines and go out in joyful dancing.
- Matthew 9:15 Jesus replied, “How can the guests of the bridegroom mourn while He is with them? But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast.
- 1 Kings 1:40 All the people followed him, playing flutes and rejoicing with such a great joy that the earth was split by the sound.
- Matthew 9:23 When Jesus entered the house of the synagogue leader, He saw the flute players and the noisy crowd.
- Luke 15:25 Meanwhile the older son was in the field, and as he approached the house, he heard music and dancing.
- 1 Corinthians 9:19 Though I am free of obligation to anyone, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible.