Matthew 11:17 (YLT)

Passage

and saying, We piped unto you, and ye did not dance, we lamented to you, and ye did not smite the breast.

Nearby Context

Matthew 11:15 he who is having ears to hear--let him hear.

Matthew 11:16 `And to what shall I liken this generation? it is like little children in market-places, sitting and calling to their comrades,

Matthew 11:17 and saying, We piped unto you, and ye did not dance, we lamented to you, and ye did not smite the breast.

Matthew 11:18 `For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, He hath a demon;

Matthew 11:19 the Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, Lo, a man, a glutton, and a wine-drinker, a friend of tax-gatherers and sinners, and wisdom was justified of her children.'

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "saying", "piped", "dance", "lamented", "smite", and "breast". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "saying" and "piped", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 16's "And to what shall I liken this..." into verse 18's "For John came neither eating nor drinking...", so "saying" and "piped" 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 "saying" and "piped" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.