The text emphasizes that life in Lot's day was characterized by ordinary, seemingly harmless activities like buying, selling, planting, and building. This highlights how complete normalcy and engagement in daily routines can mask an impending divine judgment, making spiritual preparedness easily overlooked.
Likewise, just as it was in the days of Lot—they were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building, but on the day when Lot went out from Sodom, fire and sulfur rained from heaven and destroyed them all—
English Standard Version (ESV)
Jesus is contrasting His coming with the unexpected judgment that fell on Sodom. Just before the fiery destruction, the people were completely engrossed in everyday life, oblivious to the imminent danger, just as in Noah's day. This highlights how people often miss spiritual warnings, prioritizing mundane activities over preparation for divine judgment.
What does 'eating and drinking, buying and selling' have to do with Jesus' return?
Jesus uses the everyday activities of Sodom's inhabitants—eating, drinking, buying, selling, planting, and building—to paint a stark picture of the final judgment.
Normalcy as a Sign
These weren't inherently sinful actions. The problem wasn't the activities themselves, but the mindset behind them. The people of Sodom were so consumed by their daily routines and pleasures that they were completely oblivious to the impending doom.
A Deceptive Peace
This normalcy created a false sense of security. They were living as if life would always continue in the same predictable way, never expecting the sudden, catastrophic intervention of God's judgment. This indifference made them easy targets, caught unaware when disaster struck.
Why does Jesus specifically mention Sodom's everyday life as a warning?
While the verse focuses on ordinary actions, the context of Sodom (as described in Genesis and elsewhere) reveals a deeper layer of wickedness.
The Corruption Beneath the Surface
The 'eating and drinking, buying and selling' in Sodom wasn't just mundane; it occurred within a society deeply characterized by immorality and injustice (as described in Ezekiel 16:49-50). Their daily lives were intertwined with and perhaps fueled by profound sin.
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A Mirror for Today
Jesus uses Sodom not just as an example of being caught off guard, but also as a warning against allowing worldly pursuits to become so absorbing that they numb us to both sin and God's call to righteousness. The ordinariness of their actions masked the extraordinariness of their corruption.
Understand the original words
Lot · Hebrew Proper Noun
A person of moral and righteous character living in the midst of a notoriously wicked city, whose deliverance serves as a testament to God's care for the righteous while punishing the ungodly.
Sedom · Hebrew Proper Noun
An ancient city known in the Bible as a symbol of extreme moral depravity and rebellion against God, resulting in catastrophic divine judgment.
pyr kai theion · Greek Noun Phrase
A frequent Old Testament motif representing divine judgment and the manifestation of God’s holiness and wrath against sin and impurity.
c. 2000 BC— this verse
Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah
God destroys the wicked cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, along with surrounding cities, with fire and brimstone. Lot and his daughters are rescued.
c. 1400 BC - 1000 BC
Biblical Accounts of Sodom's Wickedness
The story of Sodom's destruction is recorded in Genesis and later alluded to in various prophetic books and Old Testament texts, serving as a stark warning.
c. AD 30-33
Jesus' Ministry and Teaching
During his ministry, Jesus frequently references the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah as an example of divine judgment, particularly when discussing his return.
c. AD 60-65
Writing of Luke's Gospel
Luke records Jesus' discourse on the signs of his coming and the final judgment, including the analogy of the days of Lot.
This passage directly describes Lot and his family being urged to leave Sodom just before its destruction, mirroring the suddenness of judgment mentioned in Luke.
Matthew 24:38-39Jesus makes a similar comparison to the days of Noah, highlighting how people were caught unaware by the flood while engaged in normal daily activities, underscoring the theme of unsuspecting judgment.
2 Peter 2:7Peter refers to righteous Lot being distressed by the ungodly behavior of Sodom, which aligns with the context of God's judgment on that wicked city as Luke presents it.
Ezekiel 16:49This prophetic passage describes Sodom's sin as pride, excess, and lack of concern for the poor, providing the underlying reason for the judgment that Jesus alludes to in Luke.
Luke 21:34-35Jesus gives a direct warning to 'take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with... the cares of this life,' which directly echoes the danger of being consumed by daily activities when judgment comes.
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 17:28: "Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded;"
Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot,.... When he lived in Sodom, and before, and at the time of the destruction of that city with other neighbouring ones: they did eat, they drank; See Gill on Luke 17:27, and Ezekiel 16:49. This is to be understood of the inhabitants of Sodom, and the other cities that perished with it: they bought, they sold: they trade…
The text emphasizes that life in Lot's day was characterized by ordinary, seemingly harmless activities like buying, selling, planting, and building. This highlights how complete normalcy and engagement in daily routines can mask an impending divine judgment, making spiritual preparedness easily overlooked.
Jesus is contrasting His coming with the unexpected judgment that fell on Sodom. Just before the fiery destruction, the people were completely engrossed in everyday life, oblivious to the imminent danger, just as in Noah's day. This highlights how people often miss spiritual warnings, prioritizing mundane activities over preparation for divine judgment.
Jesus is contrasting His coming with the unexpected judgment that fell on Sodom. Just before the fiery destruction, the people were completely engrossed in everyday life, oblivious to the imminent danger, just as in Noah's day. This highlights how people often miss spiritual warnings, prioritizing mundane activities over preparation for divine judgment.
"Likewise, just as it was in the days of Lot—they were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building, but on the day when Lot went out from Sodom, fire and sulfur rained from heaven and destroyed them all—" — The text emphasizes that life in Lot's day was characterized by ordinary, seemingly harmless activities like buying, selling, planting, and building. This highlights how complete normalcy and engagem…
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Last reviewed October 2026
