They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all.
LUKE 17:27KJVWhat does Luke 17:27 mean?
Luke 17:27 describes how, in the days before the flood, people were living ordinary lives—eating, drinking, marrying, and being given in marriage—right up until Noah entered the ark and the flood came and destroyed them all. The verse highlights how sudden and unexpected the disaster was for those who were not prepared.
In this verse, Jesus is speaking to His disciples, using the story of Noah to illustrate what it will be like when the "Son of Man" is revealed. The people in Noah’s time were focused on daily routines and did not expect judgment, so they were caught off guard when the flood arrived. The point is to show how easily people can be absorbed in everyday life and miss something significant.
The Greek behind Luke 17:27
- "eat" (ἐσθίω, esthiō): This word means to eat in a general, everyday sense. It emphasizes that people were just going about normal activities.
- "drank" (πίνω, pinō): Like "eat," this word refers to the ordinary act of drinking, reinforcing the idea of regular life continuing as usual.
- "destroyed" (ἀπόλλυμι, apollymi): This word means to ruin or destroy completely. Its use here underlines the total and sudden nature of the flood’s impact.
Why Luke 17:27 matters
- Luke 17:27 clears up the idea that people in Noah’s day were doing anything unusual or especially wicked at the moment the flood came; instead, they were simply living normal lives, which made the judgment all the more unexpected.
- The verse emphasizes the suddenness and surprise of God’s intervention, connecting it to Jesus’ warning about being ready for the coming of the Son of Man.
- This verse ties the story of Noah to the broader teaching in Luke 17 about watchfulness and not being caught off guard by significant spiritual events.