Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded;

LUKE 17:28KJV
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Luke 17:28 (KJV)

What does Luke 17:28 mean?

Luke 17:28 describes how, in the days of Lot, people were living their normal lives—eating, drinking, buying, selling, planting, and building—without any sense of coming judgment. Jesus is warning that people will be caught off guard by sudden events, just as they were in Lot’s time.

In this verse, Jesus is speaking to His disciples and others around Him. He is comparing the time before God’s judgment on Sodom (in Lot’s day) to what it will be like before the coming of the Son of Man. The focus is on how ordinary life continued right up until disaster struck, highlighting the suddenness and unexpected nature of what is to come.

The Greek behind Luke 17:28

  • The word "Likewise" (ὡσαύτως, hōsautōs) connects this verse directly to the previous example about Noah, showing that Jesus is making a deliberate comparison between the two situations.
  • The verbs "they ate" (ἤσθιον, ēsthion), "they drank" (ἔπινον, epinon), "they bought" (ἠγόραζον, ēgórazon), "they sold" (ἐπώλουν, epōloun), "they planted" (ἐφύτευον, ephýteuon), and "they built" (ᾠκοδόμουν, oikodomoun) are all in the imperfect tense in Greek, which often suggests ongoing, habitual actions. This emphasizes that people were going about their usual routines without interruption.

Why Luke 17:28 matters

  • Luke 17:28 helps clarify that Jesus is not just talking about obvious wickedness, but about people being absorbed in everyday life, unaware of coming judgment.
  • This verse connects the story of Lot to the wider teaching about readiness and alertness in the face of God’s plans, reinforcing the need to pay attention even when life seems normal.
  • By mentioning specific activities like buying, selling, and building, Luke 17:28 paints a vivid picture of normalcy, making the warning more relatable and urgent for anyone hearing or reading it.

Where else these words appear

“Lot” Greek G3091 · used in 4 verses

  • Luke 17:29 But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all.
  • Luke 17:32 Remember Lot's wife.
  • 2 Peter 2:7 And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked:

“planted” Greek G5452 · used in 11 verses

  • Matthew 15:13 But he answered and said, Every plant, which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up.
  • Luke 13:6 He spake also this parable; A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came and sought fruit thereon, and found none.
  • 1 Corinthians 3:6 I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.

“sold” Greek G4453 · used in 20 verses

  • Matthew 10:29 Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father.
  • Mark 11:15 And they come to Jerusalem: and Jesus went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves;
  • John 2:14 And found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting:

“Likewise” Greek G3668 · used in 30 verses

  • Matthew 22:26 Likewise the second also, and the third, unto the seventh.
  • Luke 10:32 And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side.
  • 1 Corinthians 7:3 Let the husband render unto the wife due benevolence: and likewise also the wife unto the husband.