But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all.

LUKE 17:29KJV
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Luke 17:29 (KJV)

What does Luke 17:29 mean?

Luke 17:29 describes how, on the very day Lot left the city of Sodom, God sent down fire and brimstone from heaven, destroying everyone there. Jesus uses this historical event to illustrate sudden and total judgment coming without warning.

In this verse, Jesus is speaking to His disciples about the coming of the "Son of Man" and warning them about being unprepared. He refers to the story of Lot from Genesis, where Sodom was destroyed because of its wickedness. The verse emphasizes how quickly and completely judgment came, highlighting the need for alertness and readiness.

The Greek behind Luke 17:29

  • "ἐξῆλθεν" (exēlthen, "went out"): This word means to go out or depart. The focus is on the exact moment Lot left Sodom, showing that the destruction was immediate and tied to his exit.
  • "ἔβρεξεν" (ebrexen, "rained"): This verb means to rain down, often understood as a sudden, overwhelming downpour. It stresses the unexpected and unstoppable nature of the judgment.
  • "πῦρ" (pyr, "fire") and "θεῖον" (theion, "brimstone"): These words refer to fire and sulfur, a combination often associated with divine judgment in the Bible. The use of both terms underscores the severity and supernatural source of the destruction.
  • "ἀπὸ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ" (apo tou ouranou, "from heaven"): This phrase makes it clear that the disaster came directly from God, not from natural causes.

Why Luke 17:29 matters

  • Luke 17:29 clarifies that God's judgment can come suddenly, without time for last-minute changes or warnings, just as it did in Sodom.
  • The verse connects the story of Lot to Jesus' teaching about the future, showing that past acts of judgment are meant to warn and prepare listeners for what is to come.
  • By highlighting the immediacy ("the same day") and totality ("destroyed them all") of Sodom's destruction, Jesus warns against complacency and urges readiness for God's intervention.

Where else these words appear

“Lot” Greek G3091 · used in 4 verses

  • Luke 17:28 Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded;
  • Luke 17:32 Remember Lot's wife.
  • 2 Peter 2:7 And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked:

“rained” Greek G1026 · used in 6 verses

  • Matthew 5:45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.
  • Luke 7:38 And stood at his feet behind him weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears, and did wipe them with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment.
  • James 5:17 Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months.

“brimstone” Greek G2303 · used in 7 verses

  • Revelation 9:17 And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them, having breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone: and the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone.
  • Revelation 14:10 The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:
  • Revelation 20:10 And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.

“Sodom” Greek G4670 · used in 10 verses

  • Matthew 10:15 Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city.
  • Mark 6:11 And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear you, when ye depart thence, shake off the dust under your feet for a testimony against them. Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city.
  • 2 Peter 2:6 And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly;