Who are the women with child and those nursing in Matthew 24:19?
They are expectant mothers and mothers nursing little ones. Matthew 24:19 pronounces woe upon this segment of society—pregnant women and nursing mothers—because their condition would make the flight Jesus describes especially hard as another distinct group warned to be ready to go.
Les teaches that in verse 19 Jesus moves into yet another segment of society: mothers. He identifies those “with child” as expectant mothers and “those that are nursing” as mothers with little ones. This follows earlier groups—retired people on housetop patios and working-class people in the field—who are told not to return home. Les explains verse 20’s prayer that the flight not be in winter or on the Sabbath, because Israel is going back under the law if the temple is restored, and he notes current controversy over reestablishing the Sabbath in Israel.
And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!
More Questions
What does the list of people in Matthew 24:19 represent?
Verse 19's groups—young women, young mothers-to-be, and nursing mothers, along with retired people and working people—make up a complete cross-section of a society.