But woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck, in those days! for there shall be great distress in the land, and wrath upon this people.

But woe to them that are with child, and to them that nurse infants in those days! for there shall be great distress in the land, and wrath upon this people.

'And woe to those with child, and to those giving suck, in those days; for there shall be great distress on the land, and wrath on this people;

"Alas for the women who at that time are with child or who have infants; for there will be great distress in the land, and anger towards this People.

It will be hard for women who are with child, and for her with a baby at the breast, in those days. For great trouble will come on the land, and wrath on this people.

Then woe to those who are pregnant or nursing in those days. For there will be great distress upon the land and great wrath upon this people.

Alas for pregnant women, and for those who are nursing infants in those days! For there will be great suffering in the land, and anger against this people.

But woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck, in those days! for there shall be great distress in the land, and (e) wrath upon this people.
(e) By "wrath" are meant those things which God sends when he is displeased.

But woe unto them that are with-child,.... See Gill on Matthew 24:19.
For there shall be great distress in the land; of Judea. The Greek word here used, properly signifies "necessity", but here intends afflictions and distress; in which sense it is often used by the Septuagint, as in Psalm 107:6 and it is also by the Targumists adopted into their language, and used in the same sense (d): and indeed, the distress was very great, and such a time of tribulation, as was never known since the beginning of the world, nor never will be the like; what with the enemy without, and their seditions and divisions within, the robberies, murders, and famine, which prevailed and abounded, their miseries are not to be expressed:
and wrath upon this people; of the Jews; even the wrath of God, as well as of man, which came upon them to the uttermost; and their own historian observes, that God, who had condemned the people, turned every way of salvation to their destruction (e).
(d) Vid. Targum in Genesis xxii. 14. & xxxviii. 25. & Targum Sheni in Esth. v. 1. (e) Joseph. de Bello Jude. l. 6. c. 15.

woe unto--"alas for."
with child, &c.--from the greater suffering it would involve; as also "flight in winter, and on the sabbath," which they were to "pray" against (Matthew 24:20), the one as more trying to the body, the other to the soul. "For then shall be tribulation such as was not since the beginning of the world, nor ever shall be"--language not unusual in the Old Testament for tremendous calamities, though of this it may perhaps be literally said, "And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved, but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened" (Matthew 24:21-22). But for this merciful "shortening," brought about by a remarkable concurrence of causes, the whole nation would have perished, in which there yet remained a remnant to be afterwards gathered out. Here in Matthew and Mark (Matthew 24:24; Mark 13:22) are some particulars about "false Christs," who should, "if possible"--a precious clause--"deceive the very elect." (Compare 2-Thessalonians 2:9-11; Revelation 13:13.)