Woe

An exclamation denoting pain or displeasure. Less frequently, it occurs as a noun denoting a disaster or calamity. For example, in Revelation 9:12, following the release of the locusts from the abyss and their devastation upon those who follow the Beast, John announces, “The first woe has passed. Behold, two woes are still to follow.” Again, in Revelation 11:14, immediately before the seventh trumpet is sounded, John writes, “The second woe has passed. Behold, the third woe is coming shortly.” The woes in Revelation are like the Old Testament plagues. They are more intense, though, as they are demonic in origin.

The Greek word is onomatopoeic (the sound is similar to the thing it describes): ouai (compare the Hebrew oi and hoi).

Woe does not automatically imply a judgment in each situation. At times, it shows regret or sorrow about the sad situation that prompted it. In each case, the context needs to be taken into consideration. In Matthew 11:21 and Luke 10:13, when Jesus says, “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida!” he was reproaching the people of those cities for their unbelief. The same is true in Luke 17:2. Jesus pronounces woe upon the one who causes another to sin: “It would be better for him to have a millstone hung around his neck.” The Lucan Sermon on the Plain follows the Beatitudes with four woe statements. These statements are not so much threats as they are expressions of regret or compassion.