You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour you do not expect.”
Parallel translations
- WEB Therefore be ready also, for the Son of Man is coming in an hour that you don’t expect him.”
- KJV Be ye therefore ready also: for the Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not.
- NKJV Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”
- NASB You too, be ready; because the Son of Man is coming at an hour that you do not think He will.”
- NLT You also must be ready all the time, for the Son of Man will come when least expected.”
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
Be ready, for the Son of Man comes at an hour you do not expect. Constant preparedness is the proper response to an unknown return.
Overview
Jesus applies the parable directly: His coming will be sudden and unanticipated, so His people must always be ready. Readiness means faithful, watchful living rather than date-setting or speculation. The certainty of the return paired with the uncertainty of its timing calls believers to persevering faithfulness every day.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 10
- 1 Th 5:6So then, let us not sleep as the others do, but let us remain awake and sober.
- Matt 25:13Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.
- Matt 24:44For this reason, you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour you do not expect.
- Rom 13:11And do this, understanding the occasion. The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, for our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.
- 2 Pet 3:12–14as you anticipate and hasten the coming of the day of God, when the heavens will be destroyed by fire and the elements will melt in the heat.
- Rev 19:7Let us rejoice and be glad and give Him the glory. For the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His bride has made herself ready.
- Mark 13:33–36Be on your guard and stay alert! For you do not know when the appointed time will come.
- Matt 24:42Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day on which your Lord will come.
- Rom 13:14Instead, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the desires of the flesh.
- Luke 21:34–36But watch yourselves, or your hearts will be weighed down by dissipation, drunkenness, and the worries of life—and that day will spring upon you suddenly like a snare.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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 12:40 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.