Then they will begin to tell the mountains, ‘Fall on us!’ and tell the hills, ‘Cover us.’
Parallel translations
- KJV Then shall they begin to say to the mountains, Fall on us; and to the hills, Cover us.
- BSB At that time ‘they will say to the mountains, “Fall on us!” and to the hills, “Cover us!”’
- ESV Then they will begin to say to the mountains, ‘Fall on us,’ and to the hills, ‘Cover us.’
- NKJV Then they will begin ‘to say to the mountains, “Fall on us!” and to the hills, “Cover us!” ’
- NASB Then they will begin to say to the mountains, ‘Fall on us,’ and to the hills, ‘Cover us.’
- NLT People will beg the mountains, ‘Fall on us,’ and plead with the hills, ‘Bury us.’
Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
People will beg the mountains to fall on them to escape the coming distress. The judgment will be so terrible that death would seem preferable.
Overview
Jesus borrows the language of Hosea 10:8 to depict the despair of those facing Jerusalem's fall. The imagery later reappears in Revelation, describing terror before God's wrath. His words warn that those who reject the Savior store up dread judgment, making plain the urgency of repentance and faith.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 4
- Rev 6:16They told the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb,
- Hos 10:8The high places also of Aven, the sin of Israel, will be destroyed. The thorn and the thistle will come up on their altars. They will tell the mountains, “Cover us!” and the hills, “Fall on us!”
- Isa 2:19Men shall go into the caves of the rocks, and into the holes of the earth, from before the terror of Yahweh, and from the glory of his majesty, when he arises to shake the earth mightily.
- Rev 9:6In those days people will seek death, and will in no way find it. They will desire to die, and death will flee from them.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Luke shows Jesus the Savior for all — outsiders, the poor, the nations — the one who, on the Emmaus road, opened all the Scriptures to show they were about himself.
How Luke 23:30 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.