O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you that kill the prophets, and stone them which are sent to you, how often would I have gathered your children together, even as a hen gathers her chickens under her wings, and you would not!
O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you that kill the prophets, and stone them which are sent to you, how often would I have gathered your children together, even as a hen gathers her chickens under her wings, and you would not!
O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, that killeth the prophets, and stoneth them that are sent unto her! how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!
O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, putting to death the prophets, and stoning those who are sent to her! Again and again would I have taken your children to myself as a bird takes her young ones under her wings, and you would not!
O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them who are sent to thee, how often would I have gathered thy children, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!
"Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets, and stones those who are sent to her! How often I would have gathered your children together, even as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you would not!
O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killeth the prophets, and stoneth them that are sent unto her! how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!
O Jerusalem, Jerusalem -
1. It is evident that our blessed Lord seriously and earnestly wished the salvation of the Jews.
2. That he did every thing that could be done, consistently with his own perfections, and the liberty of his creatures, to effect this.
3. That his tears over the city, Luke 19:41, sufficiently evince his sincerity.
4. That these persons nevertheless perished. And
5. That the reason was, they would not be gathered together under his protection: therefore wrath, i.e. punishment, came upon them to the uttermost.
From this it is evident that there have been persons whom Christ wished to save, and bled to save, who notwithstanding perished, because they would not come unto him, John 5:40. The metaphor which our Lord uses here is a very beautiful one. When the hen sees a beast of prey coming, she makes a noise to assemble her chickens, that she may cover them with her wings from the danger. The Roman eagle is about to fall upon the Jewish state - nothing can prevent this but their conversion to God through Christ-Jesus cries throughout the land, publishing the Gospel of reconciliation - they would not assemble, and the Roman eagle came and destroyed them. The hen's affection to her brood is so very strong as to become proverbial. The following beautiful Greek epigram, taken from the Anthologia, affords a very fine illustration of this text.
Χειμεριαις νιφαδεσσι παλυνομενα τιθας ορνις
Τεκνοις ευναιας αμφεχεε πτερυγας
Μεσφα μεν ουρανιον κρυος ωλεσεν η γαρ εμεινεν
Αιθερος ουρανιων αντιπαλος νεφεων.
Προκνη και Μεδεια, κατ' αΐδος αιδεσθητε,
Μητερες, ορνιθων εργα διδασκομεναι
Anthol. lib. i. Titus. 87: edit. Bosch. p. 344
continued...
O Jerusalem ... - See the notes at Luke 19:41-42.
Would I have gathered - Would have protected and saved.
Thy children - Thy people.
23:37 Luke 13:34.