Jude 1:11 (ASV)

Passage

Woe unto them! For they went in the way of Cain, and ran riotously in the error of Balaam for hire, and perished in the gainsaying of Korah.

Nearby Context

Jude 1:9 But Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing judgment, but said, The Lord rebuke thee.

Jude 1:10 But these rail at whatsoever things they know not: and what they understand naturally, like the creatures without reason, in these things are they destroyed.

Jude 1:11 Woe unto them! For they went in the way of Cain, and ran riotously in the error of Balaam for hire, and perished in the gainsaying of Korah.

Jude 1:12 These are they who are hidden rocks in your love-feasts when they feast with you, shepherds that without fear feed themselves; clouds without water, carried along by winds; autumn leaves without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots;

Jude 1:13 Wild waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, for whom the blackness of darkness hath been reserved forever.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "went", "cain", "riotously", "error", "balaam", "hire", "perished", and "gainsaying". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "went" and "cain", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 10's "But these rail at whatsoever things they..." into verse 12's "These are they who are hidden rocks...", so "went" and "cain" belong inside that flow. In Jude context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "went" and "cain" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.