Matthew 11:16 (DRB)

Passage

But whereunto shall I esteem this generation to be like? It is like to children sitting in the market place.

Nearby Context

Matthew 11:14 And if you will receive it, he is Elias that is to come.

Matthew 11:15 He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.

Matthew 11:16 But whereunto shall I esteem this generation to be like? It is like to children sitting in the market place.

Matthew 11:17 Who crying to their companions say: We have piped to you, and you have not danced: we have lamented, and you have not mourned.

Matthew 11:18 For John came neither eating nor drinking; and they say: He hath a devil.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "whereunto", "shall", "esteem", "generation", "like", "children", and "sitting". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "whereunto" and "shall", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 15's "He that hath ears to hear let..." into verse 17's "Who crying to their companions say We...", so "whereunto" and "shall" belong inside that flow. In Matthew context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

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