Luke 17:26
What does Luke 17:26 mean?
A plain-English look at Luke 17:26 in WEB alongside six other public-domain English translations, with cross-references and chapter context.
What Luke 17:26 means
Jesus says that the conditions in the days of Noah foreshadow the days of the Son of man. People will carry on with ordinary life, oblivious to impending judgment. The point is not that eating or marrying is sinful, but that routine comforts can dull spiritual alertness. History warns that divine intervention often arrives while society is peacefully preoccupied. This comparison calls readers to discern the times, to live awake, and not to mistake normalcy for safety. God’s patience has limits; when His appointed day comes, it comes decisively. The past becomes a mirror, showing how easily we can miss God’s warnings.
Parallel translations
WEB
World English Bible · 2000And as it came to pass in the days of Noah, even so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man.
KJV
King James Version · 1611And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man.
ASV
American Standard Version · 1901And as it came to pass in the days of Noah, even so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man.
BBE
Bible in Basic English · 1949And as it was in the days of Noah, so will it be in the day of the Son of man.
YLT
Young's Literal Translation · 1862`And, as it came to pass in the days of Noah, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of Man;
DRA
Douay-Rheims (Challoner) · 1752And as it came to pass in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man.
DBY
Darby Bible · 1890And as it took place in the days of Noe, thus also shall it be in the days of the Son of man:
Context
This illustration follows Jesus’ statement about His necessary suffering (verse 25) and begins a set of parallels that continue with Lot’s day (verses 28–29). Verse 27 will supply details about Noah’s time—life going on until the flood. The sequence builds an argument about sudden judgment amid everyday life, leading to the explicit application in verse 30 and the urgent instructions about not turning back to retrieve possessions when the day comes (verse 31).
Cross references
Related passages from across Scripture, drawn from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.
- Job 22:15
Wilt thou keep the old way Which wicked men have trodden?
- Genesis 6:5
And Jehovah saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
- Luke 17:22
And he said unto the disciples, The days will come, when ye shall desire to see one of the days of the Son of man, and ye shall not see it.
- Hebrews 11:7
By faith Noah, being warned of God concerning things not seen as yet, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; through which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.
- 1 Peter 3:19
in which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison,
- 2 Peter 2:5
and spared not the ancient world, but preserved Noah with seven others, a preacher of righteousness, when he brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly;
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