Matthew 24 39

Matthew 24:39 kjv

And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

Matthew 24:39 nkjv

and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.

Matthew 24:39 niv

and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.

Matthew 24:39 esv

and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.

Matthew 24:39 nlt

People didn't realize what was going to happen until the flood came and swept them all away. That is the way it will be when the Son of Man comes.

Matthew 24 verses

Matthew 24 39 Meaning

Matthew 24:39 asserts a direct parallel between the world immediately preceding Noah's flood and the world just before the return of the Son of Man. It emphasizes that during Noah's time, people were immersed in their everyday routines and remained oblivious or indifferent to the impending divine judgment, even as Noah preached and prepared the ark. Similarly, when Jesus Christ returns, a significant portion of humanity will be spiritually unprepared, engrossed in their ordinary lives, and "unaware" (or "knew not") of His sudden and decisive coming, which will bring judgment upon the unready. This verse underscores the unexpected nature and comprehensive impact of Christ's return for those who neglect the spiritual warnings and fail to be vigilant.

Matthew 24 39 Context

Matthew 24:39 is a pivotal part of the Olivet Discourse, delivered by Jesus on the Mount of Olives (Mt 24:1-25:46) in response to His disciples' questions about the destruction of the Temple and the signs of His coming and the end of the age. Specifically, this verse falls within a section (Mt 24:36-44) where Jesus stresses the unknown timing of His return. The broader context contrasts general signs of the end, which the disciples could observe, with the precise day and hour of His return, which only the Father knows. Jesus uses the historical event of Noah's flood, immediately detailed in Mt 24:38 as a time of ordinary life despite imminent divine intervention, to powerfully illustrate the suddenness and unexpectedness of His own coming for the unprepared world. This serves as a vital warning to His disciples to remain vigilant and ready.

Matthew 24 39 Word analysis

• and: Greek kai. A simple conjunction, connecting this phrase to the previous verse (Mt 24:38), indicating a continuation of the thought and description of the pre-flood world.
• knew not: Greek ouk ēdeisan (οὐκ ᾔδεισαν). Ouk (not) + ēdeisan (from oida, to know by perception or experience; to understand). This phrase signifies more than just a lack of information; it points to a spiritual unawareness, a failure to heed warnings, or a willful disregard despite evident signs. They chose not to perceive the significance of Noah's message or preparations.
• until: Greek heōs (ἕως). A preposition marking the temporal limit or endpoint. It highlights that their state of ignorance or normal activities persisted up to the very moment of judgment.
• the flood: Greek ho kataklysmos (ὁ κατακλυσμός). Refers directly and unequivocally to the great Deluge of Noah's time (Gen 6-9), a catastrophic act of universal divine judgment that utterly changed the world.
• came: Greek ēlthen (ἦλθεν). Simple aorist tense, signifying a completed action. It denotes a decisive, sudden, and final arrival, initiating the judgment.
• and took them all away: Greek kai ēren pantas (καὶ ἦρεν πάντας).
  • ēren (from airō, αἴρω): To lift, carry off, take away, sweep away, remove entirely. It emphasizes the complete and decisive nature of the judgment, signifying their destruction.
  • pantas (πάντας): All, every single one. This stresses the totality of the judgment for those outside Noah's ark. It was a comprehensive removal through destruction.
• so: Greek houtōs (οὕτως). A demonstrative adverb indicating the manner or way. It establishes a strong parallel, meaning "in the same way" or "likewise." The preceding description of the flood scenario perfectly mirrors the manner of Christ's return.
• shall also: Greek kai estai (καὶ ἔσται). Kai (and, also) + estai (from eimi, to be, future tense). This combination stresses the certainty and inevitability of the Son of Man's return, further reinforcing the parallel.
• the coming: Greek hē parousia (ἡ παρουσία). A crucial theological term, specifically denoting an official, authoritative arrival or presence, particularly of a dignitary, ruler, or god. In Christian eschatology, it refers specifically to the second advent of Jesus Christ as King and Judge. It signifies not just an arrival, but an active, decisive presence.
• of the Son of man: Greek tou Huiou tou Anthrōpou (τοῦ Υἱοῦ τοῦ Ἀνθρώπου). Jesus's most frequent self-designation. It connects Him to the authoritative, judicial figure described in Dan 7:13-14 who comes with the clouds of heaven to receive everlasting dominion, glory, and a kingdom. It encapsulates both His full humanity and His unique divine authority and future role as Judge.

Words-group by words-group analysis:

• knew not until the flood came: This phrase underscores the active ignorance and spiritual apathy of humanity. Despite warnings (from Noah) and possibly observable changes (ark construction), they remained absorbed in daily life, oblivious to the divine timeline and impending doom. Their "not knowing" was a moral failing—a refusal to acknowledge or act upon what they could have perceived.
• took them all away: This emphasizes the sudden, decisive, and comprehensive judgment on the unprepared. It illustrates God's unyielding judgment against persistent ungodliness, where the entire mass of unrighteous humanity was swept away to destruction, leaving only those who believed and prepared.
• so shall also the coming of the Son of man be: This establishes the direct and prophetic comparison. The judgment at the Lord’s return will be as unexpected for the complacent world, as decisive, and as sweeping in its removal of the unready, as the flood was in Noah's day. The parousia will not be a quiet or hidden event for those outside the ark of salvation, but a definitive, visible intervention with eternal consequences.

Matthew 24 39 Bonus section

While Matthew 24:39 highlights the unexpected nature of the Son of Man's coming for the unready, it's crucial to understand this "unaware" does not contradict earlier parts of Matthew 24 that speak of specific signs of the end. Rather, it means that despite potential signs, the world's populace will remain willfully ignorant, dismissing or failing to interpret them correctly, much like the pre-flood generation ignored Noah. The emphasis is on spiritual readiness over chronological speculation; understanding the season without knowing the precise time. The "took them all away" directly refers to the judgment upon the unrighteous, a contrast to the righteous being gathered. It also implicitly highlights the ark (Jesus Christ as the means of salvation) as the sole means of escape from impending judgment.

Matthew 24 39 Commentary

Matthew 24:39 stands as a stark warning about the spiritual state of humanity prior to Christ's second coming. Jesus explicitly likens His return, described as the "coming of the Son of man," to the sudden onset of Noah's flood. The core message is not merely about an unforeseen event, but about human unpreparedness. During Noah's time, people were living out their ordinary lives—eating, drinking, marrying—without giving serious thought or taking action in response to Noah’s warnings. They "knew not" or were "unaware," not necessarily due to a complete absence of information, but due to willful disregard or spiritual complacency, engrossed in worldly affairs to the exclusion of eternal realities. This state of normalcy and spiritual oblivion was abruptly shattered when the flood came and "took them all away" in a total act of judgment. The direct parallel indicates that Christ's return will likewise be a decisive, global event that catches the world by surprise due to its similar spiritual negligence. It's a call to continuous vigilance and readiness, understanding that ordinary life must not become an excuse for spiritual dormancy. The normalcy of everyday life itself is not the problem, but being so absorbed in it that one becomes insensitive to God’s signs and warnings.