“But be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have allowed his house to be broken into.
Parallel translations
- WEB But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what hour the thief was coming, he would have watched, and not allowed his house to be broken into.
- KJV And this know, that if the goodman of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched, and not have suffered his house to be broken through.
- BSB But understand this: If the homeowner had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into.
- NKJV But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into.
- NLT “Understand this: If a homeowner knew exactly when a burglar was coming, he would not permit his house to be broken into.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
If the householder had known when the thief was coming, he would have stayed watchful. The unexpected timing of the Lord's coming demands constant readiness.
Overview
Jesus likens His return to a thief arriving at an unforeseen hour, stressing that the timing is unknown. Because no one can predict the moment, ongoing vigilance is essential. The image is not about Christ's character but about the suddenness of His coming, which leaves no room for spiritual carelessness.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 6
- 2 Pet 3:10But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will be dissolved with fervent heat, and the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up.
- Rev 3:3Remember therefore how you have received and heard. Keep it, and repent. If therefore you won’t watch, I will come as a thief, and you won’t know what hour I will come upon you.
- Rev 16:15“Behold, I come like a thief. Blessed is he who watches, and keeps his clothes, so that he doesn’t walk naked, and they see his shame.”
- Matt 24:43–44But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what watch of the night the thief was coming, he would have watched, and would not have allowed his house to be broken into.
- 1 Th 5:2–3For you yourselves know well that the day of the Lord comes like a thief in the night.
- Matt 6:19“Don’t lay up treasures for yourselves on the earth, where moth and rust consume, and where thieves break through and steal;
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
Luke shows Jesus the Savior for all — outsiders, the poor, the nations — the one who, on the Emmaus road, opened all the Scriptures to show they were about himself.
How Luke 12:39 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.