The common understanding is that the days of Noah were filled with blatant wickedness, but the text emphasizes their unsuspecting indulgence in everyday life—eating, drinking, and marrying—right up until disaster struck. This highlights that the danger isn't just from outward sin, but from an inward complacency that blinds us to God's impending judgment, even amidst normal activities.
Just as it was in the days of Noah, so will it be in the days of the Son of Man. They were eating and drinking and marrying and being given in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Jesus is warning his disciples about the coming judgment, using the extreme examples of Noah's flood and the destruction of Sodom to illustrate how unexpectedly and suddenly it will arrive. He's emphasizing that just as people were caught up in their everyday lives, oblivious to the impending doom, so too will the world be engrossed in ordinary activities when the Son of Man returns. This prepares them for the disciples' subsequent questions about the signs of his coming and the end of the age.
Jesus compares the end times to the days of Noah. What made those days so oblivious to the coming flood, and how does that connect to us today?
The key insight here is the normality of life just before God's judgment. In Noah's day, people were going about their usual routines: eating, drinking, marrying, buying, selling. They were so absorbed in these everyday activities that they didn't see the catastrophic judgment approaching.
This isn't about a sudden, unexpected event in an otherwise quiet world. It's about a world so deeply engrossed in its own pursuits that it’s blind to the signs of God's intervention. They weren't necessarily wicked in their daily actions, but their total absorption in them, to the exclusion of spiritual awareness, was the critical factor. They lived as if life would always continue in its predictable pattern.
Noah built an ark for over a century, a massive sign of impending doom. Yet, people remained oblivious. How can we be like Noah and not like his generation?
The days of Noah weren't marked by a lack of warning, but by a refusal to heed the warning. Noah, a preacher of righteousness, was building a massive vessel right in front of everyone.
This incredible act of faith and obedience served as a continuous, visible alarm. Yet, the people chose to ignore it. Their minds were so clouded by their everyday lives and perhaps a secular worldview that they dismissed the impossible becoming possible. They 'knew not' because they to know.
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This is a stark contrast to Noah, who 'by faith' built the ark and 'became heir of the righteousness that is according to faith' (Hebrews 11:7). His preparedness wasn't just physical; it was a deep-seated faith that aligned him with God's perspective.
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.
tebah · Hebrew Noun
A vessel built by Noah at God's command to provide salvation for his family and the animals from the destruction of the global flood; it is a significant biblical type of safety and refuge found in God.
mabbul · Hebrew Noun
A divine act of universal judgment intended to cleanse the earth of corruption; biblically, it symbolizes God's sovereignty over creation and His intolerance of persistent, unrepentant sin.
Jesus uses the stark contrast between the ordinary, oblivious lives of people before the Flood and the suddenness of God's judgment to warn his followers. The comparison highlights that a future 'day of the Son of Man,' whether referring to the destruction of Jerusalem or the final judgment, will also catch the unprepared world by surprise, just as the deluge swept away an unsuspecting humanity.
c. 2350 BC— this verse
The Great Flood
God brings a catastrophic flood to destroy all humanity due to widespread wickedness, saving only Noah and his family in an ark. The event is marked by the people's obliviousness to the impending doom, continuing their everyday lives until the deluge arrived.
c. 2000 BC
Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah
The wicked cities of Sodom and Gomorrah are destroyed by fire and brimstone rained down from heaven. This event serves as another example of sudden, divine judgment on sinful societies, with Lot and his family escaping the destruction.
c. 605 BC
First Deportation to Babylon
King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon deports Judeans, including Daniel and his friends, to Babylon. This marks the beginning of the Babylonian Exile, a period of judgment and testing for the people of Judah.
587/586 BC
Destruction of Jerusalem
Babylonian forces under Nebuchadnezzar conquer Jerusalem, destroy the Temple, and exile the remaining Judeans. This event represents a severe divine judgment on the unfaithful nation.
c. AD 30-33
Jesus' Ministry and Crucifixion
Jesus proclaims the coming of the 'Son of Man' and warns of future judgment, drawing parallels to Noah and Lot. His ministry culminates in his death and resurrection, signifying both judgment on sin and the offer of salvation.
c. AD 64-68
Destruction of Jerusalem (Second Temple)
The Roman Empire destroys Jerusalem and its Temple, fulfilling Jesus' prophecies. This event is often seen by scholars as a near-term fulfillment of the 'days of the Son of Man' Jesus described, characterized by widespread chaos and divine judgment.
This passage describes the pervasive wickedness and corruption that characterized the world before the flood, highlighting the moral and spiritual indifference Jesus compares to the days leading up to His return.
Matthew 24:37-39Jesus directly parallels the coming of the Son of Man with the days of Noah, emphasizing that people were caught up in their daily lives—eating, drinking, and marrying—unaware of the impending judgment.
2 Peter 3:3-7Peter uses the example of the flood to warn against scoffers in the last days who will ignore the promise of Christ's return, just as people ignored Noah's warnings before the destruction.
Luke 17:28-30Immediately following this verse, Jesus also compares the end times to the days of Lot, underscoring the sudden and destructive nature of judgment that will overtake those engrossed in worldly affairs.
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 common understanding is that the days of Noah were filled with blatant wickedness, but the text emphasizes their unsuspecting indulgence in everyday life—eating, drinking, and marrying—right up until disaster struck. This highlights that the danger isn't just from outward sin, but from an inward complacency that blinds us to God's impending judgment, even amidst normal activities.
Jesus is warning his disciples about the coming judgment, using the extreme examples of Noah's flood and the destruction of Sodom to illustrate how unexpectedly and suddenly it will arrive. He's emphasizing that just as people were caught up in their everyday lives, oblivious to the impending doom, so too will the world be engrossed in ordinary activities when the Son of Man returns. This prepares them for the disciples' subsequent questions about the signs of his coming and the end of the age.
Jesus is warning his disciples about the coming judgment, using the extreme examples of Noah's flood and the destruction of Sodom to illustrate how unexpectedly and suddenly it will arrive. He's emphasizing that just as people were caught up in their everyday lives, oblivious to the impending doom, so too will the world be engrossed in ordinary activities when the Son of Man returns. This prepares them for the disciples' subsequent questions about the signs of his coming and the end of the age.
"Just as it was in the days of Noah, so will it be in the days of the Son of Man. They were eating and drinking and marrying and being given in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all." — The common understanding is that the days of Noah were filled with blatant wickedness, but the text emphasizes their unsuspecting indulgence in everyday life—eating, drinking, and marrying—right up u…
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Last reviewed October 2026
