Luke 11:47Woe to you! For you build the tombs of the prophets, and your fathers killed them.
The setting
Jerusalem, Israel, ~30 AD. Jesus stands in someone's house, facing lawyers and Pharisees who invited Him for dinner but are now receiving His harshest criticism yet.
The emotion here: righteous fury at religious performance while hearts plan murder
The original word
oikodomeo (οἰκοδομεῖτε) — to build up, construct monuments, ironically the same word used for building God's kingdom
Why it matters
Elaborate tombs of prophets like Zechariah were tourist attractions in Jesus' day, funded by the religious elite
Read with care
What most readers miss in Luke 11:47
This wasn't theoretical — they were literally building expensive prophet tombs while plotting to kill Jesus
Common misconceptionPeople think this is about literal tomb-building, but Jesus is exposing how we honor dead saints while persecuting living ones who challenge us.
The thread continues
Verses that echo Luke 11:47
Bible Genome reading
Luke 11:47 — Bible Genome reading
Emotional genome
Luke 11:47 comes from the book of Luke, written during the gospel period. These words are attributed to Jesus. The dominant emotion in this verse is angry, with a comfort power of 10% and a tone that is prophetic. It belongs to the narrative genre of biblical literature. Key themes include honoring dead prophets, ancestral guilt. Notable phrases: build the tombs of the prophets; your fathers killed them.
Emotionally similar
Verses that meet the same angry
“Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruning hooks into spears. Let the weak say, 'I am strong.'”
— Joel 3:10
“You blind guides, who strain out a gnat, and swallow a camel!”
— Matthew 23:24
“Listen to this word, you cows of Bashan, who are on the mountain of Samaria, who oppress the poor, who crush the needy, who tell their husba…”
— Amos 4:1
“I hate, I despise your feasts, and I can't stand your solemn assemblies.”
— Amos 5:21
“Your eyes shall not pity; life shall go for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.”
— Deuteronomy 19:21
Your reflection
What does Luke 11:47 mean to you, today?
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