Matthew 24:37-38
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While the world was seemingly normal with daily routines like eating and marrying, the people in Noah's day were completely oblivious to the impending, sudden judgment of the flood. Jesus is highlighting that the coming of the Son of Man will be similarly unexpected by a world engrossed in its everyday affairs.
For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark,
English Standard Version (ESV)
Jesus is describing the signs leading up to the destruction of Jerusalem and the end times, a discourse that often blends these two events. He's warning his disciples to stay alert and not be caught off guard by judgment, just as the people of Noah's day were when the flood came, completely immersed in their daily lives and oblivious to the coming doom. This historical parallel emphasizes that the end will arrive suddenly and unexpectedly for those who are not watching.
The world before the great flood wasn't a place of constant judgment or obvious doom. People were just… living.
Jesus compares His coming to the days of Noah. What was so significant about those days?
Daily Rhythms
In Noah's time, life went on as usual. People were eating, drinking, marrying, and conducting business. It was a world absorbed in its routines and pleasures.
Unforeseen Judgment
The critical point isn't that the world was 'bad' in a way that was easily identifiable as sinful to everyone. Instead, the issue was their complete indifference to God's warnings and their unsuspecting engagement in everyday life. They were blindsided by the flood because they weren't expecting judgment. They 'knew not until the flood came and took them all away.'
A Parallel Warning
Jesus uses this to show that His return will similarly catch many off guard. People will be deep in the activities of life, unaware that the final reckoning has arrived.
When the Son of Man comes, not everyone will experience it the same way. Think of it like a sudden interruption.
Jesus' comparison to Noah’s day points to more than just everyday life. It highlights the suddenness of the judgment and the resulting separation.
Unexpected Interruption
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The flood arrived without warning for most. One moment people were living their lives, the next, destruction was upon them. Similarly, Jesus' coming will be sudden and unexpected for those who are not watching.
A Stark Division
Jesus illustrates this with two scenarios: two men in a field and two women grinding at a mill. In each case, one is taken and the other left. This isn't about one person being 'better' than the other in outward appearance. It signifies a divinely executed separation – one taken into God's presence, the other left to face judgment.
The 'Taken' and the 'Left'
Being 'taken' signifies being gathered to Christ, while being 'left' signifies being left behind for judgment. This separation happens amidst ordinary activities, making the moment of Christ’s return a moment of profound, irreversible division.
Understand the original words
huios tou anthrōpou · Greek Noun Phrase
The title most frequently used by Jesus for Himself, emphasizing His humanity, His messianic authority, and His role as the eschatological Judge as foretold in Daniel 7.
parousia · Greek Noun
The visible return of Jesus Christ in glory to judge the living and the dead and to consummate His kingdom.
kataklysmos · Greek Noun
A sudden, catastrophic judgment from God upon the earth due to human sin, serving as a historical type for the future final judgment.
Jesus' reference to Noah's day highlights that His coming will be as unexpected and as indifferent to the world's activities as the flood was. The ancient destruction of Sodom and Jerusalem are also seen as types that foreshadow the final judgment, emphasizing the suddenness and separation that will occur.
c. 24th century BC
Noah's Ark is Built
The biblical narrative describes Noah building an ark over a long period, warning people of an impending flood that God would send due to widespread wickedness.
c. 2349 BC
The Great Flood
God sends a global flood to destroy all life on Earth, saving only Noah and his family aboard the ark, and a pair of every animal.
c. 19th century BC
Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah
God destroys the wicked cities of Sodom and Gomorrah with fire and brimstone, saving only Lot and his daughters, though Lot's wife looks back and becomes a pillar of salt.
c. AD 30-33— this verse
Jesus' Ministry and Teachings
Jesus teaches extensively about His future return, the signs of the end times, and the need for His followers to remain vigilant and prepared.
AD 70
Destruction of Jerusalem
The Roman army brutally sacks Jerusalem and destroys the Second Temple, an event Jesus predicted and which served as a type or foreshadowing of future eschatological events.
This passage describes the widespread wickedness and corruption that characterized the days of Noah, setting the context for God's judgment and the reason for the flood, mirroring the Matthew verse's implication of a morally unprepared world.
Luke 17:26-27Jesus draws the same parallel to Noah's day, emphasizing the unsuspecting nature of ordinary life—eating, drinking, marrying—right up until the catastrophic event, highlighting the suddenness and shock of His coming.
2 Peter 3:5-7Peter explicitly references the flood as an example of divine judgment, stating that the world 'willfully ignorant' of God's past actions will face a similar destruction, reinforcing the theme of divine judgment on an unaware populace.
1 Peter 3:20This verse mentions Noah and the ark saving a 'few, that is, eight persons,' through water, connecting the flood narrative to salvation for the faithful amidst widespread judgment, a concept echoed in Matthew 24's separation of people.
Luke 21:34-36Jesus urges His followers to 'take heed to yourselves' and 'watch,' warning that the day of judgment will come as a snare on those given over to the cares of life, directly linking to the need for preparedness implied by the Noah comparison.
barnesMatthew 24:37: "But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be."
Noe - The Greek way of writing "Noah." See Genesis 6-9 . The coming of the Son of man would be as it was in the days of Noah: 1. In its being sudden and unexpected, the "precise time" not being made known, though the "general" indications had been given. 2. The world would be found as it was then.
bensonMatthew 24:37: "But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be."
Matthew 24:37-41 . But as the days of Noe were, &c. — As then they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, till they were surprised by the flood, notwithstanding the frequent warnings and admonitions of that preacher of righteousness: so now, they shall be engaged in the business and pleasures of the world, little expecting, little thinking of this universal ruin, till it come upon th…
While the world was seemingly normal with daily routines like eating and marrying, the people in Noah's day were completely oblivious to the impending, sudden judgment of the flood. Jesus is highlighting that the coming of the Son of Man will be similarly unexpected by a world engrossed in its everyday affairs.
Jesus is describing the signs leading up to the destruction of Jerusalem and the end times, a discourse that often blends these two events. He's warning his disciples to stay alert and not be caught off guard by judgment, just as the people of Noah's day were when the flood came, completely immersed in their daily lives and oblivious to the coming doom. This historical parallel emphasizes that the end will arrive suddenly and unexpectedly for those who are not watching.
Jesus is describing the signs leading up to the destruction of Jerusalem and the end times, a discourse that often blends these two events. He's warning his disciples to stay alert and not be caught off guard by judgment, just as the people of Noah's day were when the flood came, completely immersed in their daily lives and oblivious to the coming doom. This historical parallel emphasizes that the end will arrive suddenly and unexpectedly for those who are not watching.
"For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark," — While the world was seemingly normal with daily routines like eating and marrying, the people in Noah's day were completely oblivious to the impending, sudden judgment of the flood. Jesus is highligh…
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Last reviewed October 2026
