Luke 17:27
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)
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The verse highlights not just ordinary life, but the lack of awareness surrounding a divine warning. These people weren't just living; they were reveling in their daily routines with a profound ignorance, completely oblivious until the moment destruction arrived, proving that spiritual blindness renders the most mundane activities a dangerous distraction.
Jesus is describing the sudden and unexpected nature of His second coming, comparing it to the devastating flood in Noah's day. He highlights how ordinary life—eating, drinking, and marriage—continued as usual for the vast majority right up until the moment of destruction, with no anticipation of the coming judgment. This emphasis on the world's obliviousness sets the stage for his command to his followers to stay alert and prepared.
The verse paints a picture of normal, everyday activities. But Jesus uses this scene to highlight a serious spiritual danger.
The Deceptive Nature of the Ordinary
Jesus points to the days of Noah, not to a time of extreme wickedness as we might imagine, but to a time of intense normalcy. People were eating, drinking, marrying, and going about their lives. These are good, God-given activities!
The Trap of 'Normal'
The danger isn't in the activities themselves, but in how they can become all-consuming. When daily life, with all its comforts and routines, makes us forget God and the reality of His coming judgment, it becomes a trap. The people before the flood weren't necessarily evil in their actions, but they were utterly unaware and unprepared.
This verse warns us that a life focused solely on the present, without thought for eternity, is a life unknowingly heading towards destruction.
The people in Noah's day didn't know the flood was coming. Does ignorance excuse them?
Ignorance Before Judgment
Jesus emphasizes that 'they knew not until the flood came and destroyed them all.' This wasn't a sudden, unannounced event for everyone. Noah, through faith and obedience, had been building an ark for over a century – a very public warning!
The Willful Blindness
The "not knowing" wasn't due to a lack of information, but a refusal to acknowledge the truth. They chose to ignore the signs, to dismiss Noah's warnings, and to continue in their comfortable routines. Their ignorance was a willful blindness, a consequence of their hearts being set on earthly pleasures rather than divine truth.
This highlights a crucial point: God holds us accountable not just for what we do, but for what we to see and believe, especially when truth is readily available.
Understand the original words
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.
This verse draws a powerful parallel between the sudden, unexpected destruction of the antediluvian world during Noah's time and the future Day of the Lord. It highlights how ordinary life—eating, drinking, marrying—can lull people into a false sense of security, making them unaware of impending judgment.
c. 10,500 BC— this verse
The Great Flood
According to the biblical account, a catastrophic flood sent by God destroyed all life on Earth, saving only Noah, his family, and pairs of animals aboard the ark.
c. 2000 BC - 1500 BC
Patriarchal Period
The era of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, during which God established His covenant promises. This period involved migrations and significant events shaping Israel's identity.
c. 1446 BC
Exodus from Egypt
God liberated the Israelites from slavery in Egypt through Moses, leading them through the wilderness and establishing the Law at Mount Sinai.
c. 970 BC - 931 BC
United Monarchy Reign
The period of Kings Saul, David, and Solomon, when Israel was a unified kingdom. This era saw the construction of the First Temple in Jerusalem.
This passage describes the pervasive wickedness and continuous evil intentions of humanity before the flood, setting the stage for why such a drastic judgment was necessary.
Matthew 24:38-39Jesus uses the same Noahic comparison, emphasizing that the ungodly were unaware and unsuspecting until the very moment the destruction came upon them.
1 Peter 3:20This passage draws a parallel between Noah's ark saving a few through the flood and baptism saving believers, highlighting the stark contrast between those who are preserved and those who perish in judgment.
Luke 12:16-21Jesus tells the parable of the rich fool, whose life was focused on earthly possessions and immediate gratification, mirroring the same kind of worldly preoccupation that characterized the pre-flood generation.
2 Peter 2:5Peter explicitly recalls God's judgment on the ancient world through the flood, describing it as a righteous act against a 'world of the ungodly,' reinforcing the theme of divine judgment against persistent sin.
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…
gillLuke 17:27: "They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all."
They did eat, they drank,.... That is, the inhabitants of the old world ate and drank, not merely in a common way, with moderation, and for the support and comfort of life, which is not blameworthy, nor inconsistent with religious exercises; but they lived in an extravagant and luxurious manner; they indulged their sens…
The verse highlights not just ordinary life, but the lack of awareness surrounding a divine warning. These people weren't just living; they were reveling in their daily routines with a profound ignorance, completely oblivious until the moment destruction arrived, proving that spiritual blindness renders the most mundane activities a dangerous distraction.
Jesus is describing the sudden and unexpected nature of His second coming, comparing it to the devastating flood in Noah's day. He highlights how ordinary life—eating, drinking, and marriage—continued as usual for the vast majority right up until the moment of destruction, with no anticipation of the coming judgment. This emphasis on the world's obliviousness sets the stage for his command to his followers to stay alert and prepared.
Jesus is describing the sudden and unexpected nature of His second coming, comparing it to the devastating flood in Noah's day. He highlights how ordinary life—eating, drinking, and marriage—continued as usual for the vast majority right up until the moment of destruction, with no anticipation of the coming judgment. This emphasis on the world's obliviousness sets the stage for his command to his followers to stay alert and prepared.
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722 BC
Fall of Northern Kingdom
The Assyrian Empire conquered and exiled the ten northern tribes of Israel, scattering them and ending their separate kingdom.
586 BC
Fall of Southern Kingdom
The Babylonian Empire destroyed Jerusalem and the First Temple, exiling the remaining Judeans to Babylon.
"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 verse highlights not just ordinary life, but the lack of awareness surrounding a divine warning. These people weren't just living; they were reveling in their daily routines with a profound ign…
