‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not mourn.’
Parallel translations
- WEB and say, ‘We played the flute for you, and you didn’t dance. We mourned for you, and you didn’t lament.’
- KJV And saying, We have piped unto you, and ye have not danced; we have mourned unto you, and ye have not lamented.
- NKJV and saying: ‘We played the flute for you, And you did not dance; We mourned to you, And you did not lament.’
- NASB and say, ‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a song of mourning, and you did not mourn.’
- NLT ‘We played wedding songs, and you didn’t dance, so we played funeral songs, and you didn’t mourn.’
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
The fickle generation responds to neither joyful nor mournful summons. No approach satisfies hearts determined to refuse.
Overview
Completing the parable, Jesus pictures children complaining that others would neither dance to flutes nor mourn at dirges. The point is that this generation rejected both John's solemn call to repentance and Jesus' joyful proclamation of grace. Unbelief is exposed as willful, finding excuses against every form of God's appeal.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 9
- Isa 28:9–13Whom is He trying to teach? To whom is He explaining His message? To infants just weaned from milk? To babies removed from the breast?
- Isa 30:29You 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.
- Jer 9:17–20This is what the LORD of Hosts says: “Take note, and summon the wailing women; send for the most skillful among them.
- Jer 31:4Again 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.
- Matt 9:15Jesus 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.
- Matt 9:23When Jesus entered the house of the synagogue leader, He saw the flute players and the noisy crowd.
- Luke 15:25Meanwhile the older son was in the field, and as he approached the house, he heard music and dancing.
- 1 Cor 9:19–23Though I am free of obligation to anyone, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible.
- 1 Kgs 1:40All the people followed him, playing flutes and rejoicing with such a great joy that the earth was split by the sound.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Matthew presents Jesus as the promised King — son of David, son of Abraham — the new Moses and true Israel in whom every prophecy reaches 'that it might be fulfilled.'
How Matthew 11:17 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.