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)
What's striking here isn't just the normalcy of daily life—eating, drinking, marrying—but that these ordinary activities continued until the very moment of judgment. Their everyday routines were so absorbing that they completely missed the monumental, life-saving act of Noah entering the ark, completely unaware of the imminent destruction that would sweep them all away.
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 describing the suddenness and surprise of His future return and judgment. He uses the example of Noah's day, highlighting how the people of that time were completely absorbed in their everyday lives—eating, drinking, and marrying—unaware of the impending destruction until Noah entered the ark and the flood swept them all away. This vivid picture serves to contrast the normalcy of daily life with the abruptness of divine judgment.
Life was carrying on as usual – eating, drinking, weddings. It sounds so normal, doesn't it? But in this context, it was a dangerous distraction.
Jesus highlights the everyday activities of eating, drinking, and marrying. These aren't inherently bad things; they are the fabric of normal life. However, the people of Noah's time were so absorbed in these routines that they completely missed the massive, floating warning sign God had placed right in front of them: Noah and his ark.
Their focus was entirely on the present, on the continuation and enjoyment of life, without any thought for the impending judgment. This wasn't just passive ignorance; it was an active disregard for the spiritual reality God was making known through Noah. They were 'eating and drinking' not just to sustain life, but likely in feasting and revelry, pushing away any thought of divine reckoning.
They had no idea what was coming. Then, in an instant, everything was gone. This wasn't a gradual decline; it was an abrupt end.
The crucial phrase here is 'until the day...' and then 'the flood came and destroyed them all.' There was no 'in-between' for the masses. Their ordinary lives were shattered without warning. They 'knew not until the flood came' (as Matthew 24:39 puts it).
This highlights the nature of God's judgment when it falls upon a people who have grown complacent and indifferent. It arrives suddenly, catching the unprepared in a snare. The normalcy they clung to offered no protection; in fact, it blinded them to the danger. The destruction was total, wiping out everyone and everything that wasn't safely within the ark.
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While everyone else was caught up in their routines, one man was busy building. He was a stark contrast to the world around him.
In the midst of a world consumed by daily life and oblivious to judgment, Noah stands out. He was 'eating and drinking' and raising his family, yes, but his primary activity was obedience to God's specific command: building the ark. He was actively responding to God's warning, a stark contrast to the 'destroyed them all' fate of others.
Noah's faith was not passive; it was demonstrative. His obedience, spanning over a century, was a public testament to the coming judgment. While the world ignored him, God saw his faithfulness. This highlights the essential difference between living for the moment and living in light of eternity, a distinction that determines who is 'taken' and who is 'left' when God's judgment arrives.
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.
Jesus uses the stark contrast between the ordinary lives of pre-flood people and the sudden, divine judgment to warn his followers against complacency, urging them to live watchful, faith-filled lives in anticipation of His return.
c. 10,500 BC— this verse
The Great Flood
A catastrophic global flood, as described in the Book of Genesis, wiped out most of humanity. Noah and his family were saved in an ark, preserving life on Earth.
c. 2000 BC - 1500 BC
Patriarchal Period
The era of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, laying the foundation for the Israelite nation and their covenant relationship with God.
c. 1446 BC
Exodus from Egypt
God delivered the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, a pivotal event that shaped their national identity and relationship with God.
c. 400 BC
Completion of the Old Testament Canon
The Old Testament scriptures were largely complete, providing a foundational record of God's dealings with humanity and His promises.
c. 4 BC - AD 30/33
Ministry of Jesus Christ
Jesus' earthly life, ministry, death, and resurrection, ushering in the New Covenant and the foundation of the Christian Church.
c. AD 60-65
Writing of Luke's Gospel
Luke, a physician and companion of Paul, wrote his Gospel, meticulously documenting Jesus' life and teachings for a wider audience.
This passage directly describes the people of Noah's day as living ordinary lives, eating, drinking, and marrying, up until the very moment the flood began, highlighting the same theme of oblivious normalcy before disaster.
Luke 21:34-36Jesus warns his followers here to 'take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and anxieties of daily life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a snare,' which echoes the spiritual and practical preparedness needed in light of the sudden judgment described in Luke 17:27.
Matthew 24:38-39Jesus makes the same comparison here, stating that 'for as in the days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away,' reinforcing the universal nature of this warning.
2 Peter 2:5This verse directly references God's judgment on the 'ancient world' for its wickedness, confirming that the people described in Luke 17:27 were not just living normally, but were immersed in ungodliness when the flood came.
Genesis 19:14This verse shows a similar scenario with Lot's family, where they were preparing to leave Sodom but were still in the midst of everyday life and unaware of the imminent destruction, paralleling the theme of normalcy before divine judgment.
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…
What's striking here isn't just the normalcy of daily life—eating, drinking, marrying—but that these ordinary activities continued until the very moment of judgment. Their everyday routines were so absorbing that they completely missed the monumental, life-saving act of Noah entering the ark, completely unaware of the imminent destruction that would sweep them all away.
Jesus is describing the suddenness and surprise of His future return and judgment. He uses the example of Noah's day, highlighting how the people of that time were completely absorbed in their everyday lives—eating, drinking, and marrying—unaware of the impending destruction until Noah entered the ark and the flood swept them all away. This vivid picture serves to contrast the normalcy of daily life with the abruptness of divine judgment.
Jesus is describing the suddenness and surprise of His future return and judgment. He uses the example of Noah's day, highlighting how the people of that time were completely absorbed in their everyday lives—eating, drinking, and marrying—unaware of the impending destruction until Noah entered the ark and the flood swept them all away. This vivid picture serves to contrast the normalcy of daily life with the abruptness of divine judgment.
"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." — What's striking here isn't just the normalcy of daily life—eating, drinking, marrying—but that these ordinary activities continued until the very moment of judgment. Their everyday routines were so…
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Last reviewed October 2026