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Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.
Luke 21:36 · King James Version
Parallel translations
  • WEB Therefore be watchful all the time, praying that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will happen, and to stand before the Son of Man.”
  • BSB So keep watch at all times, and pray that you may have the strength to escape all that is about to happen and to stand before the Son of Man.”
  • NKJV Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man.”
  • NASB But stay alert at all times, praying that you will have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.”
  • NLT Keep alert at all times. And pray that you might be strong enough to escape these coming horrors and stand before the Son of Man.”

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

Believers should always be watchful and prayerful, so as to escape these things and stand before the Son of Man.

Overview

Jesus closes the discourse with a call to constant vigilance and prayer. To 'stand before the Son of Man' is to be found ready and accepted at His coming. This readiness rests on grace through faith, expressed in watchful, prayerful perseverance.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 23

  • 1 Jn 2:28And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming.
  • Matt 25:13Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.
  • 1 Pet 5:8Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
  • Matt 24:42Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.
  • 1 Pet 4:7But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer.
  • Mark 13:33Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is.
  • 1 Cor 16:13Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong.
  • Luke 18:1And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;
  • Matt 26:41Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.
  • Mal 3:2But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner’s fire, and like fullers’ soap:
  • Eph 6:13–14Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
  • Luke 12:37–40Blessed are those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching: verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them.
  • Mark 13:37And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch.
  • Jude 1:24Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy,
  • 1 Th 5:17Pray without ceasing.
  • Col 4:2Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving;
  • 2 Th 1:5–6Which is a manifest token of the righteous judgment of God, that ye may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which ye also suffer:
  • 2 Tim 4:5But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry.
  • Ps 1:5Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.
  • Acts 10:2A devout man, and one that feared God with all his house, which gave much alms to the people, and prayed to God alway.
  • Eph 6:18–19Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;
  • Job 27:10Will he delight himself in the Almighty? will he always call upon God?
  • Luke 20:35But they which shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry, nor are given in marriage:

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (2)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — Luke videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on Luke 21:36YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on LukeMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    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 21:36 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.