Matthew 24:28 kjv
For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together.
Matthew 24:28 nkjv
For wherever the carcass is, there the eagles will be gathered together.
Matthew 24:28 niv
Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather.
Matthew 24:28 esv
Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.
Matthew 24:28 nlt
Just as the gathering of vultures shows there is a carcass nearby, so these signs indicate that the end is near.
Matthew 24 28 Cross References
Verse | Text | Reference Note |
---|---|---|
Lk 17:37 | They said to Him, "Where, Lord?" And He said to them, "Wherever the body is, there the vultures will gather." | Parallel passage, identical proverb. |
Mt 24:27 | For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. | Context: Illustrates the sudden, visible, universal nature. |
Job 39:27-30 | Is it at your command that the eagle mounts up and makes its nest on high?... its eyes behold afar. | Natural instinct of birds of prey; observing its source. |
Prov 30:17 | The eye that mocks a father and scorns to obey a mother will be picked out by the raven's chicks and eaten by the vultures. | Birds of prey associated with judgment on unrighteous. |
Dt 28:26 | Your carcasses shall be food for all birds of the air... no one will frighten them away. | Covenant curses, judgment leading to bodies exposed. |
Jer 7:33 | And the dead bodies of this people will be food for the birds of the air and for the beasts of the earth... | Divine judgment on rebellious Judah, unburied corpses. |
Ez 39:17-20 | As for you, son of man, thus says the Lord God: Speak to every winged creature... Assemble and come, gather... feast. | "Feast for birds" of judgment on God's enemies. |
Rev 19:17-18 | Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and with a loud voice he called to all the birds that fly in midheaven, "Come, gather for the great supper of God... | Birds summoned to feast on the flesh of fallen kings and armies after final battle. |
Rev 19:21 | And the rest were slain by the sword that came from the mouth of him who was sitting on the horse, and all the birds were gorged with their flesh. | Consummation of judgment; birds as agents of cleanup. |
Hab 1:8 | ...their horses are swifter than leopards... fiercer than evening wolves; their horsemen press proudly on. Yes, their horsemen come from afar; they fly like an eagle swift to devour. | Instruments of judgment (Babylonians) likened to swift predators. |
Mt 16:2-3 | "You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times." | Discerning signs; contrast with failure to see spiritual "signs" of judgment. |
Lk 12:54-56 | "When you see a cloud rising in the west, immediately you say, ‘A shower is coming,’ and so it happens... You know how to interpret the appearance of earth and sky, but why do you not know how to interpret the present time?" | People discern natural signs, but fail to discern divine timings. |
Jer 16:4 | They shall die of deadly diseases... be for food to the birds of the air and to the beasts of the earth. | Prophecy of severe judgment with bodies left unburied. |
Hos 8:1 | Set the trumpet to your lips! He comes like an eagle against the house of the Lord... | Impending judgment from an enemy likened to an eagle. |
Is 34:15 | There the owl nests and lays and hatches and gathers her young in her shade... | Desolation leading to wild animals inhabiting the waste. |
Joel 3:13 | Put in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Go in, tread, for the winepress is full. The vats overflow, for their evil is great. | Harvest of judgment; accumulation of wickedness. |
Gen 15:11 | When birds of prey came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away. | Early biblical instance of birds of prey attracted to carcasses, driven away before covenant confirmation. |
Rev 11:8 | And their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city that spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where their Lord was crucified. | Spiritual death/rebellion leads to exposure, "carcasses." |
Jer 22:19 | With the burial of a donkey he shall be buried, dragged away and dumped outside the gates of Jerusalem. | Indignity of no proper burial for unrighteous rulers; an exposed corpse. |
Is 18:6 | They will be left together for the birds of prey of the mountains and for the beasts of the earth... | God's judgment leading to desolation and food for beasts. |
Jude 1:12 | These are hidden reefs at your love feasts, as they feast with you without fear, shepherds feeding themselves; waterless clouds swept along by winds; fruitless trees in autumn, twice dead, uprooted. | Metaphorical "deadness" and spiritual fruitlessness leading to destruction. |
Mt 13:47-49 | "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and gathered fish of every kind... then separates the evil from the righteous." | Separation in judgment, the "gathering." |
Matthew 24 verses
Matthew 24 28 Meaning
Matthew 24:28 presents a powerful proverb illustrative of the undeniable and public nature of the Son of Man's coming. Just as large scavenger birds inevitably congregate where a decaying body lies, so too will the true presence and accompanying events of Christ's return or judgment be conspicuously visible and universally evident to all. It highlights that the signs preceding and accompanying His advent will not be hidden or localized, but self-evident manifestations.
Matthew 24 28 Context
Matthew 24:28 is an integral part of Jesus' Olivet Discourse (Matthew 24-25), delivered in response to the disciples' questions regarding the destruction of the Temple and the signs of His coming and the end of the age (Mt 24:3). Jesus first warns against deceptive messianic claims and reports (Mt 24:4-26), emphasizing that His true coming will not be hidden or localized in a secret place, unlike the false claims ("in the wilderness" or "in the inner rooms").
Immediately preceding this verse, Matthew 24:27 declares, "For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man." This establishes the truly visible and universal nature of His advent. Verse 28 then acts as a proverb or idiom that further reinforces this point, providing a natural illustration of something undeniable and publicly evident. While often understood in some measure in light of the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70, the broader context of the discourse points overwhelmingly to Jesus' final, ultimate return (Parousia), which will be globally recognized, marking the climactic separation and judgment.
Matthew 24 28 Word analysis
- For (γὰρ - gar): A conjunction indicating a causal or explanatory link. It connects this proverb directly to the preceding statement (Matthew 24:27), clarifying or illustrating how the Son of Man's coming will be like lightning—that is, unmistakably obvious.
- wherever (ὅπου ἐὰν - hopou ean): This phrase means "wherever there may be" or "wherever it might be." It implies a universal application and the certainty that if the condition (the carcass) is met, the consequence will follow. It points to a spatial contingency.
- the carcass (τὸ πτῶμα - to ptōma): Refers to a dead body, a corpse, or something fallen and decaying. In this proverbial context, "the carcass" symbolizes spiritual deadness, moral decay, or the locus of corruption that calls for divine judgment. It signifies a state of vulnerability to divine reckoning. Its presence draws.
- is (ᾖ - ē): From the verb "to be." Simply indicates the existence or presence of the carcass, confirming the condition.
- there (ἐκεῖ - ekei): An adverb of place, pointing back to the location indicated by "wherever." It stresses the precise and inevitable connection between the carcass and the birds.
- the eagles (οἱ ἀετοί - hoi aëtoi): While literally "eagles," in biblical and ancient Near Eastern contexts, this term often refers generically to large birds of prey, specifically including vultures (such as the griffon vulture, prevalent in that region) which are scavengers drawn to carrion. They represent the agents of swift and sure reckoning, or perhaps simply those who observe and are drawn to the manifest signs of judgment or decay.
- will be gathered together (συναχθήσονται - synachthēsontai): Future tense, passive voice verb from synagō. It signifies an inevitable, collective convergence or assembly. The birds are naturally, unmistakably drawn and collected at that place. This highlights the public and undeniable nature of the event being described.
- "For wherever the carcass is": This phrase sets up the foundational condition. It speaks to a situation of decay, death, or moral/spiritual putrefaction which is readily observable. The presence of such "carcass" is the trigger for the inevitable gathering, signifying that the condition necessitating the coming of judgment will be undeniably present.
- "there the eagles will be gathered together": This completes the proverb, declaring the unavoidable consequence. It highlights a natural, self-evident phenomenon: scavengers are attracted to carrion. Applied to Jesus' discourse, it means that when the spiritual decay, the ungodliness, or the need for final judgment reaches its full measure, or when the true locus of God's redemptive/judgmental activity is revealed, His coming will be as visible and certain as this natural gathering of birds, drawing attention from all quarters without need for human announcement.
Matthew 24 28 Bonus section
- Proverbial Nature: This statement is a well-known ancient proverb, likely in circulation during Jesus' time, hence its simple and impactful delivery without need for detailed explanation. Its use highlights that certain truths about divine action are as evident as natural laws.
- Discernment: The proverb not only assures the visibility of Christ's return but also challenges listeners to develop spiritual discernment. Those who have "eyes to see" the "carcass" of spiritual deadness and the signs of the times will recognize the accompanying "gathering."
- Clean-up Crew: The "eagles/vultures" as scavengers can be seen as "clean-up crews" for God, clearing away that which is dead or ripe for judgment, reinforcing the theme of divine cleansing and justice inherent in Jesus' return. This theme is particularly vivid in passages like Ezekiel 39 and Revelation 19.
- Polemics against Gnosticism/Esotericism: Implicitly, this verse stands against any notion of a hidden, esoteric, or secretive return of Christ. It directly challenges ideas that only a select, privileged few would know or discern His true coming.
Matthew 24 28 Commentary
Matthew 24:28 is a poignant and powerful proverb chosen by Jesus to explain the certainty, visibility, and non-secretive nature of His "coming" (Parousia). In contrast to the false messiahs who would claim a localized presence (in the wilderness, in inner rooms), Jesus’ arrival and the events surrounding it will be overtly manifest and universally recognizable. The proverb uses a familiar natural phenomenon: the unmistakable attraction of scavengers to a dead body. The "carcass" here metaphorically represents a situation or place ripe for divine judgment or marked by spiritual death and decay. It could apply to the morally corrupt Jerusalem and its pending destruction in A.D. 70 (a type or foreshadowing) but ultimately points to the end-time consummation. The "eagles" (more accurately, vultures in this scavenging context) are the agents, observers, or instruments attracted to this state of decay or judgment. Just as one doesn't need to announce the presence of a carcass for vultures to find it, one will not need an interpreter or secret revelation to understand that Christ's coming is taking place. It implies discernment for those who understand spiritual signs – they will instinctively recognize the presence of the "carcass" and therefore the imminent "gathering" of judgment or Christ’s public manifestation.