Therefore be ready also, for the Son of Man is coming in an hour that you don’t expect him.”
Parallel translations
- KJV Be ye therefore ready also: for the Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not.
- BSB You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour you do not expect.”
- 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’s not sleep, as the rest do, but let’s watch and be sober.
- Matt 25:13Watch therefore, for you don’t know the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming.
- Matt 24:44Therefore also be ready, for in an hour that you don’t expect, the Son of Man will come.
- Rom 13:11Do this, knowing the time, that it is already time for you to awaken out of sleep, for salvation is now nearer to us than when we first believed.
- 2 Pet 3:12–14looking for and earnestly desiring the coming of the day of God, which will cause the burning heavens to be dissolved, and the elements will melt with fervent heat?
- Rev 19:7Let us rejoice and be exceedingly glad, and let us give the glory to him. For the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his wife has made herself ready.”
- Mark 13:33–36Watch, keep alert, and pray; for you don’t know when the time is.
- Matt 24:42Watch therefore, for you don’t know in what hour your Lord comes.
- Rom 13:14But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, for its lusts.
- Luke 21:34–36“So be careful, or your hearts will be loaded down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that day will come on you suddenly.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Commentaries & study tools
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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 12:40 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.