Luke 17 37

Luke 17:37 kjv

And they answered and said unto him, Where, Lord? And he said unto them, Wheresoever the body is, thither will the eagles be gathered together.

Luke 17:37 nkjv

And they answered and said to Him, "Where, Lord?" So He said to them, "Wherever the body is, there the eagles will be gathered together."

Luke 17:37 niv

"Where, Lord?" they asked. He replied, "Where there is a dead body, there the vultures will gather."

Luke 17:37 esv

And they said to him, "Where, Lord?" He said to them, "Where the corpse is, there the vultures will gather."

Luke 17:37 nlt

"Where will this happen, Lord?" the disciples asked. Jesus replied, "Just as the gathering of vultures shows there is a carcass nearby, so these signs indicate that the end is near."

Luke 17 verses

Luke 17 37 Meaning

Luke 17:37 conveys Jesus' response to the disciples' question about the "where" of the Son of Man's coming and the associated judgment. Jesus indicates that this manifestation of divine judgment will not be limited to a specific, identifiable geographic location, nor will it be signaled by human-chosen indicators. Instead, its "where" will be intrinsically linked to the presence of spiritual death, decay, or moral corruption—much like scavenging birds are inevitably drawn to a carcass. It signifies that divine judgment, when it arrives, will manifest powerfully and overtly wherever spiritual rottenness exists, making its presence clear and unmistakable to all.

Luke 17 37 Context

Luke 17:37 forms the concluding statement of Jesus' extended discourse on the coming of the Kingdom of God and the Son of Man (Luke 17:20-37). Earlier in this passage, Jesus corrected the Pharisees' expectation of a visible, observable kingdom, stating it was "within/among you" (Lk 17:21). He then shifted focus to His disciples, warning them about deceptive signs and describing His return as the "days of the Son of Man"—sudden, universal like lightning, and unexpectedly breaking into normal life, akin to the days of Noah and Lot before their respective judgments (Lk 17:26-32).

Following these stark warnings about the abruptness and specificity of the end-time events (including separation within families, Lk 17:33-36), the disciples, still thinking in terms of observable signs, inquire, "Where, Lord?" They are asking for a geographical or definitive location for these occurrences, wanting a tangible place to watch for the manifestation of these predicted judgments. Jesus' proverbial reply in verse 37 redirects their attention from seeking a physical location to understanding the principle by which His judgment operates: it finds its target where there is "spiritual carrion"—a state of ripeness for judgment. Historically and culturally, the imagery of eagles (which in the ancient Near East often included large vultures) gathering to a carcass was a familiar sight, symbolizing decay, death, and an inevitable consequence. It also carried connotations of swift, overwhelming destruction, often associated with warfare and desolation.

Luke 17 37 Word analysis

• And they answered and said unto him, Where, Lord? (καὶ ἀποκριθέντες εἶπαν αὐτῷ, Ποῦ, Κύριε;)

  • ἀποκριθέντες (apokrithentes): "Having answered," an aorist participle. It indicates a direct and completed action in response. The disciples are specifically and pointedly asking for clarification on the location of the event Jesus just described.
  • Ποῦ (Pou): "Where?" This interrogative adverb explicitly seeks a specific location. The disciples, despite Jesus' descriptions of a universal and non-local event, still instinctively look for a geographical "where" or a specific sign to pinpoint the coming judgment or the Kingdom's manifestation.
  • Κύριε (Kyrie): "Lord." This address reflects respect and acknowledgement of Jesus' authority, yet it is coupled with a human desire for concrete, practical details about the future.

• And he said unto them, Wheresoever the body is, thither will the eagles be gathered together. (ὁ δὲ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς, Ὅπου τὸ σῶμα, ἐκεῖ καὶ οἱ ἀετοὶ ἐπισυναχθήσονται.)

  • ὁ δὲ (ho de): "But he," or "And he." The conjunction indicates a transition to Jesus' response, which contrasts with the disciples' expectations. He reframes their "where" question.
  • σῶμα (sōma): "body." In this proverbial context, it specifically refers to a "carcass" or "corpse." In the parallel passage in Matthew (24:28), the Greek word is ptōma (πτῶμα), which explicitly means a fallen body or carcass. Both terms convey the same concept of a dead body attracting scavengers. Symbolically, this refers to spiritual decay, moral corruption, or a people/situation ripe for divine judgment.
  • ἀετοὶ (aetoi): "eagles." While literally "eagles," in the context of scavenging, this term often referred to large birds of prey, including various species of vultures (such as Griffon Vultures) that were common scavengers in the Near East and were sometimes mistaken for or categorized broadly with eagles. Biblically, eagles can represent power, swiftness, and sometimes instruments of divine judgment. Here, they symbolize the inevitable agents or manifest signs of judgment.
  • ἐπισυναχθήσονται (episunachthesontai): "will be gathered together." This verb implies a drawing together, an assembly. The future passive indicative tense emphasizes the certainty, spontaneity, and divinely ordained nature of this gathering. The "gathering" is not random but drawn by the "body," indicating an intrinsic connection between decay and judgment.

• Words-group Analysis:

  • "Where, Lord?" vs. "Wheresoever the body is, thither will the eagles be gathered together.": This juxtaposition highlights a central point of Jesus' teaching: the disciples are seeking a specific geographical sign for His return and judgment, while Jesus directs them to a universal principle of judgment. The "where" is not a location to look for, but rather where spiritual deadness and ripe wickedness exist, there divine judgment will inevitably descend.
  • "The body" and "the eagles": This forms a potent proverb. "The body" signifies spiritual apostasy, ripe unrighteousness, or a state of complete moral decay. "The eagles/vultures" represent the swift, unavoidable, and thorough agents or manifestations of divine judgment. The imagery suggests that spiritual rot inevitably attracts judgment, just as a carcass attracts scavengers. This judgment is pervasive, not localized.

Luke 17 37 Bonus section

• The proverb used by Jesus was likely a common idiom in the ancient world, signifying that where a particular condition exists, its inevitable consequences or associated phenomena will follow. Jesus re-purposes it from a general observation to a specific spiritual truth about the manifestation of divine judgment.
• This verse is often interpreted in two ways by scholars:
  1. Proximate Fulfillment (Fall of Jerusalem in AD 70): The "body" could symbolize the corrupted Jewish religious system and people who rejected their Messiah, and the "eagles" could represent the Roman legions with their eagle standards, instruments of God's judgment against Jerusalem.
  2. Ultimate Fulfillment (The Second Coming of Christ): The "body" represents a world steeped in rebellion and ripened for final judgment, and the "eagles" signify the visible and unavoidable nature of Christ's cosmic return to execute that judgment. Given the broader context of Luke 17 (specifically vv. 20-37 referring to the "days of the Son of Man" and comparisons to Noah and Lot, which imply universal judgment), the ultimate eschatological fulfillment is strongly emphasized.
• Jesus' reply bypasses the disciples' desire for a strategic place to observe the event. He signifies that the event itself, marked by profound judgment and destruction, will reveal its own "where" through its effects. The spiritual state of humanity, or a segment of humanity, determines where the divine hammer will fall.
• The comparison also suggests a certain inevitability and swiftness. Just as vultures appear seemingly out of nowhere once a carcass is present, so will the judgment come suddenly and decisively once the world is ripe for it.

Luke 17 37 Commentary

Luke 17:37 powerfully underscores that the coming of the Son of Man, understood as both a period of severe tribulation and His ultimate return in judgment, will not be a secluded or difficult-to-locate event. The disciples' question, "Where, Lord?", reveals a natural human desire for tangible, predictable signs and locations for momentous future events. However, Jesus' response firmly redirects this focus.

By employing the vivid, well-known proverb of the carcass and the eagles, Jesus conveys that His coming judgment will not require anxious searching or speculation about its geographical place. Instead, its presence will be self-evident and pervasive wherever there is moral and spiritual decay, much like the visible gathering of scavenger birds signals a corpse. This implies that the true "location" of judgment is found not in a specific geographical spot but in the spiritual condition of those being judged. Where there is significant ungodliness, apostasy, or a final state of spiritual "deadness" ripe for harvest, there the swift and undeniable agents of God's justice will manifest.

This imagery serves as a solemn warning against focusing on outward signs while neglecting the inward spiritual state. It emphasizes that divine judgment is an inevitable consequence of prolonged unrighteousness, an active response to pervasive sin, making its effects universally discernible when they occur.