Luke 17:26
Just as it was in the days of Noah, so will it be in the days of the Son of Man.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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The verse emphasizes that just as people were consumed by daily life and unaware in Noah's time, so will the world be in the days leading up to the Son of Man's return. This isn't just about a lack of belief, but a deep-seated indifference, where ordinary activities obscure the looming spiritual reality.
Jesus is describing the circumstances surrounding his future return, warning that it will catch people off guard just as the great flood surprised the world in Noah's day. In that era, people were consumed by everyday life – eating, drinking, marrying – utterly unaware of the impending divine judgment until it was too late. This stark comparison emphasizes the need for constant vigilance and preparedness for his coming.
Jesus links His return to the days of Noah. What does 'normal' life look like when God's judgment is imminent?
Jesus uses the days of Noah as a stark warning. People were caught up in the everyday – eating, drinking, marrying – utterly unaware of the impending doom.
The Illusion of Stability
When the Son of Man returns, there won't be a gradual shift. Jesus describes a startling, immediate separation.
Jesus paints a picture of sudden, unexpected separation. In the days of Noah, the floodwaters didn't discriminate in their arrival, but they clearly divided those 'in the ark' from those 'outside'. The same will happen at the Son of Man's coming.
Taken and Left
Understand the original words
ho huios tou anthropou · Greek Noun Phrase
A title for the Messiah, particularly emphasizing His humanity, divine authority, and future role as the eschatological Judge of all people as described in Daniel 7:13-14.
Noah · Hebrew Proper Noun
Refers to the pre-flood historical period characterized by extreme wickedness and divine judgment, serving as a prophetic archetype for the suddenness and unexpected nature of the final judgment.
Jesus uses the catastrophic, sudden judgments of the past—the Flood and the destruction of Sodom—to highlight that the future coming of the Son of Man will also catch a largely unsuspecting and unrepentant world off guard, just as people were consumed by their daily lives and pleasures and unaware of the impending doom.
c. 2348 BC— this verse
The Great Flood
God sends a worldwide flood to destroy all humanity and living creatures due to their widespread wickedness, saving only Noah and his family in the ark.
c. 2000-1800 BC
Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah
God destroys the wicked cities of Sodom and Gomorrah with fire and brimstone for their extreme sinfulness, saving only Lot and his daughters.
c. 1st century AD
Jesus' Ministry
Jesus teaches his disciples about the signs of the end times and the importance of watchfulness, using historical examples to illustrate his points.
This passage describes the rampant wickedness and corruption of humanity before the flood, highlighting the moral decay that characterized Noah's day and setting the stage for God's judgment.
Genesis 7:6-7These verses detail Noah and his family entering the ark just before the flood, emphasizing the narrow escape of the righteous amidst widespread destruction and the unawareness of the ungodly.
Matthew 24:37-39Jesus draws the same comparison here, directly linking the unsuspecting, pleasure-seeking populace before the flood to the conditions that will exist before His second coming.
2 Peter 3:3-4Peter warns against scoffers who will deny Christ's return, comparing their skepticism to the same disbelief and indifference that marked the people before the flood, who questioned where God's promised judgment was.
Luke 17:28-30Immediately following this verse, Jesus also compares the days of the Son of Man to the days of Lot, emphasizing sudden, unexpected judgment upon those engrossed in daily life and unaware of impending doom.
barnesLuke 17:26: "And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man."
See the notes at Matthew 24:37-39 .
calvinLuke 17:26-37: "And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man."
- But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. 38. For as in the days that came before the deluge, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, till the day when Noah entered into the ark, 39. And knew not until the deluge came, [160] and took them all away: so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. 40. Two men shall then be in the field…
The verse emphasizes that just as people were consumed by daily life and unaware in Noah's time, so will the world be in the days leading up to the Son of Man's return. This isn't just about a lack of belief, but a deep-seated indifference, where ordinary activities obscure the looming spiritual reality.
Jesus is describing the circumstances surrounding his future return, warning that it will catch people off guard just as the great flood surprised the world in Noah's day. In that era, people were consumed by everyday life – eating, drinking, marrying – utterly unaware of the impending divine judgment until it was too late. This stark comparison emphasizes the need for constant vigilance and preparedness for his coming.
Jesus is describing the circumstances surrounding his future return, warning that it will catch people off guard just as the great flood surprised the world in Noah's day. In that era, people were consumed by everyday life – eating, drinking, marrying – utterly unaware of the impending divine judgment until it was too late. This stark comparison emphasizes the need for constant vigilance and preparedness for his coming.
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"Just as it was in the days of Noah, so will it be in the days of the Son of Man." — The verse emphasizes that just as people were consumed by daily life and unaware in Noah's time, so will the world be in the days leading up to the Son of Man's return. This isn't just about a lack o…
