An exclamation of judgment upon God's enemies, or of misfortune on oneself, or, in the ministry of Jesus Christ, of sadness over those who fail to recognise the true misery of their condition.
Woe as an exclamation of judgment on others
Woe to God's enemies
Isaiah 33:1 Probably referring to Assyria. See also Jeremiah 48:1–2; Nahum 3:1–7; Habakkuk 2:6–20; Zephaniah 2:5
Woe to you, O destroyer never destroyed, O traitor never betrayed! When you have finished destroying, you will be destroyed. When you have finished betraying, you will be betrayed.
Woe to God's faithless people
Hosea 7:13–16 See also Isaiah 30:1–2, Isaiah 45:9–10; Jeremiah 4:13–18; Ezekiel 16:23–27
Woe to them, for they have strayed from Me! Destruction to them, for they have rebelled against Me! Though I would redeem them, they speak lies against Me. They do not cry out to Me from their hearts when they wail upon their beds. They slash themselves for grain and new wine, but turn away from Me. Although I trained and strengthened their arms, they plot evil against Me. They turn, but not to the Most High; they are like a faulty bow. Their leaders will fall by the sword for the cursing of their tongue; for this they will be ridiculed in the land of Egypt.
Woe to careless leaders of God's people
Jeremiah 23:1–2 See also Ezekiel 13:1–9, Ezekiel 34:1–10; Zephaniah 3:1–4; Zechariah 11:15–17
“Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of My pasture!” declares the LORD. Therefore this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says about the shepherds who tend My people: “You have scattered My flock and driven them away, and have not attended to them. Behold, I will attend to you for the evil of your deeds, declares the LORD.
Woe to those who are complacent in their prosperity or religion
Amos 6:1–7 See also Amos 5:18–24
Woe to those at ease in Zion and those secure on Mount Samaria, the distinguished ones of the foremost nation, to whom the house of Israel comes. Cross over to Calneh and see; go from there to the great Hamath; then go down to Gath of the Philistines. Are you better than these kingdoms? Is their territory larger than yours? You dismiss the day of calamity and bring near a reign of violence. You lie on beds inlaid with ivory, and lounge upon your couches. You dine on lambs from the flock and calves from the stall. You improvise songs on the harp like David and invent your own musical instruments. You drink wine by the bowlful and anoint yourselves with the finest oils, but you fail to grieve over the ruin of Joseph. Therefore, you will now go into exile as the first of the captives, and your feasting and lounging will come to an end.
Woe to those who neglect social justice
Isaiah 10:1–4 See also Isaiah 5:8–23; Jeremiah 22:13–19; Micah 2:1–3
Woe to those who enact unjust statutes and issue oppressive decrees, to deprive the poor of fair treatment and withhold justice from the oppressed of My people, to make widows their prey and orphans their plunder. What will you do on the day of reckoning when devastation comes from afar? To whom will you flee for help? Where will you leave your wealth? Nothing will remain but to crouch among the captives or fall among the slain. Despite all this, His anger is not turned away; His hand is still upraised.
Woe to a godless world
Revelation 8:13 See also Revelation 12:12, Revelation 18:10, Revelation 18:16–17, Revelation 18:19
And as I observed, I heard an eagle flying overhead, calling in a loud voice, “Woe! Woe! Woe to those who dwell on the earth, because of the trumpet blasts about to be sounded by the remaining three angels!”
Woe as an exclamation of misfortune on oneself
Woe as a consequence of circumstances or events
Jeremiah 10:19 Jeremiah is describing the pain he feels at the impending destruction of his nation. See also 1 Samuel 4:6–8; Psalm 120:5–7; Jeremiah 4:13
Woe to me because of my brokenness; my wound is grievous! But I said, “This is truly my sickness, and I must bear it.”
Woe as a consequence of one's own sin
Lamentations 5:16 See also Isaiah 3:8–9, Isaiah 6:5
The crown has fallen from our head. Woe to us, for we have sinned!
Woe as a consequence of God's call on one's life
1 Corinthians 9:16 See also Jeremiah 45:1–5; Ezekiel 2:9–3:11
Yet when I preach the gospel, I have no reason to boast, because I am obligated to preach. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!
Woe as an exclamation of sadness over others
Woe to those who do not recognise their own needs
But woe to you who are rich, for you have already received your comfort. Woe to you who are well fed now, for you will hunger. Woe to you who laugh now, for you will mourn and weep. Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for their fathers treated the false prophets in the same way.
Woe to those whose religion blinds themselves and misleads others
Luke 11:52 See also Matthew 23:13–33; Luke 11:42–51
Woe to you experts in the law! For you have taken away the key to knowledge. You yourselves have not entered, and you have hindered those who were entering.”
Woe to those who cause others to sin
Matthew 18:7 See also Luke 17:1–3
Woe to the world for the causes of sin. These stumbling blocks must come, but woe to the man through whom they come!
Woe to those on whom judgment is coming
Luke 10:13–14 parallel Matthew 11:20–22
Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. But it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment than for you.
Woe to the one who betrays the Son of Man
Matthew 26:24 parallels Mark 14:21, Luke 22:22
The Son of Man will go just as it is written about Him, but woe to that man by whom He is betrayed. It would be better for him if he had not been born.”
Woe to those who experience the signs of the end of the age
Matthew 24:19–21 parallels Mark 13:17–19, Luke 21:23 The word translated “how dreadful” is the same word that elsewhere is translated “woe”.
How miserable those days will be for pregnant and nursing mothers! Pray that your flight will not occur in the winter or on the Sabbath. For at that time there will be great tribulation, unseen from the beginning of the world until now, and never to be seen again.
Woe may give way to forgiveness, comfort and deliverance
Isaiah 6:5–7 See also Isaiah 29:1–8, Isaiah 40:1–2 After the woes of earlier chapters, Isaiah now prophesies the comfort that will come to God's people; Jeremiah 45:2–5; Lamentations 3:16–26
Then I said: “Woe is me, for I am ruined, because I am a man of unclean lips dwelling among a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of Hosts.” Then one of the seraphim flew to me, and in his hand was a glowing coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. And with it he touched my mouth and said: “Now that this has touched your lips, your iniquity is removed and your sin is atoned for.”
Related themes
Dictionary of Bible Themes © 1999 Martin Manser, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0, via Bible Aquifer. Formatted for this site, with Scripture from the Berean Standard Bible.