“Μενουνγε”: What Christ Really Said — And Why Almost All English Translations Miss It

In the Gospel of Luke, a woman in the crowd lifts her voice and cries out in praise of the Theotokos:
“Blessed is the womb that bore Thee, and the breasts that fed Thee!” (Luke 11:27)
Our Lord’s response is well known—yet not well translated. The key lies in a single Greek word: μενοῦνγε (menoungē). This word is frequently softened, altered, or even reversed in English Bibles shaped by Protestant interpretive traditions.
Understanding the true meaning of μενοῦνγε reveals that Christ does not reject the woman’s praise of His Mother. He confirms it—and then perfects it by pointing to the deeper blessing of obedience to God.
These are what some English translations are saying:

Translations of
Luke 11:28 Text

Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
“Even more, those who hear the word of God and keep it are blessed!”
English Standard Version (ESV)
“Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!”
King James Version (KJV)
“Yea rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it.”
The Message Bible (MSG)
“Even more blessed are those who hear God’s Word and guard it with their lives!”
New American Standard Bible (NASB)
“On the contrary, blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it.”
New International Version (NIV)
“Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.”
New King James Version (NKJV)
“More than that, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!”
New Living Translation (NLT)
“But even more blessed are all who hear the word of God and put it into practice.”
New Revised Standard (NRS)
“Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it!”
American Standard Version (ASV)
“Yea rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it.”
Bible in Basic English (BBE)
“More happy (!) are they who give hearing to the word of God and keep it.”
Berean Standard Bible (BSB)
“Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.”
Common English Bible (CEB)
“Happy rather are those who hear God’s word and put it into practice.”
Common English Bible w/ Apocrypha (CEBA)
“Happy rather are those who hear God’s word and put it into practice.”
Complete Jewish Bible (CJB)
“Far more blessed are those who hear the word of God and obey it!”
Darby Translation (DBY)
“Yea rather, blessed are they who hear the word of God and keep [it].”
Good News Translation (GNT)
“Rather, how happy are those who hear the word of God and obey it!”
Good News Translation w/ Apocrypha (GNTA)
“Rather, how happy are those who hear the word of God and obey it!”
GOD’S WORD Translation (GW)
“Rather, how blessed are those who hear and obey God’s word.”
Hebrew Names Version (HNV)
“On the contrary, blessed are those who hear the word of God, and keep it.”
Jubilee Bible 2000 (JUB)
“Rather, blessed are those that hear the word of God and keep it.”
KJV w/ Apocrypha (KJVA)
“Yea rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it.”
Lexham English Bible (LEB)
“On the contrary, blessed are those who hear the word of God and follow [it]!”
New Century Version (NCV)
“No, happy are those who hear the teaching of God and obey it.”
New International Reader’s Version (NIRV)
“Instead, blessed are those who hear God’s word and obey it.”
New Revised Standard w/ Apocrypha (NRSA)
“Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it!”
Douay-Rheims (RHE)
“Yea rather, blessed are they who hear the word of God and keep it.”
Revised Standard Version (RSV)
“Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!”
RSV w/ Apocrypha (RSVA)
“Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!”
Third Millennium Bible (TMB)
“Yea rather, blessed are they that hear the Word of God and keep it.”
Third Millennium Bible w/ Apocrypha (TMBA)
“Yea rather, blessed are they that hear the Word of God and keep it.”
Tyndale (TYN)
“Ye happy are they that heare the worde of God and kepe it.”
Webster Bible (WBT)
“Yes, rather blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it.”
World English Bible (WEB)
“On the contrary, blessed are those who hear the word of God, and keep it.”
Weymouth New Testament (WNT)
“Nay rather, they are blessed who hear God’s Message and carefully keep it.”
Wycliffe (WYC)
“Rather, blessed be they that hear the word of God, and keep it.”
Young’s Literal Translation (YLT)
“Yea, rather, happy those hearing the word of God, and keeping [it]!”

The Greek reads:
Ἐγένετο δέ, ἐν τῷ λέγειν αὐτὸν ταῦτα, ἐπῆρε φωνὴν γυνὴ τις ἐκ τοῦ ὄχλου καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ·
Μακαρία ἡ κοιλία ἡ βαστάσασά σε καὶ μαστοὶ οὓς ἐθήλασας.
Αὐτὸς δὲ εἶπεν· μενοῦνγε μακάριοι οἱ ἀκούοντες τὸν λόγον τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ φυλάσσοντες αὐτόν.
The word requiring attention is μενοῦνγε.
What Does “μενοῦνγε” Actually Mean? (Luke 11:28)
The word μενοῦνγε is a compound of:

μέν — “indeed,” “surely,” a confirming particle;
οὖν — “therefore”;
γε — intensifying particle: “indeed.”

Together, μενοῦνγε means:
“Yes indeed,” “Surely,” “Certainly,” “Indeed rather,”
It does not mean “No,” nor “Rather, instead of that,” nor anything that negates the woman’s praise.
It is fundamentally a confirming word, not a rejecting one.
The Lord is saying: “Yes, indeed—and even more so…”
He accepts the praise of His Mother and elevates the conversation to point to the deeper spiritual truth: that her blessedness, and the blessedness of all true Christians, is found above all in hearing and keeping the word of God.

How Protestant-Influenced English Translations Change the Meaning

Many English translations—especially those formed by Reformation theology—translate μενοῦνγε as:
“Rather, blessed are those who hear…”
“No, blessed are those who hear…”
“On the contrary, blessed are those who hear…”
These renderings make Christ appear to correct or even rebuke the statement about His Mother. This aligns with Protestant discomfort toward affirmations of the Theotokos and the saints. But it does not align with the Greek text.
Orthodox tradition—and the Greek language itself—understands that Christ is saying: “Yes, indeed—but even more blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it.”
The Theotokos herself is the first and perfect example of this truth. Christ neither denies nor diminishes the blessing of His Mother.
He confirms it. He affirms her blessedness and extends the teaching to all who imitate her obedience:

She heard the word of God.
She received it.
She kept it.
She lived it.

Therefore, in saying μενοῦνγε, Christ is deepening the praise, not overturning it.
When we read the Scriptures without Protestant filters, we find that the Mother of God is not pushed aside but shines more clearly, not as an obstacle but as the first and best witness of what it means to hear the word of God and keep it.