Two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left.
Parallel translations
- WEB Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and one will be left;
- KJV Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
- NKJV Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left.
- NASB At that time there will be two men in the field; one will be taken and one will be left.
- NLT “Two men will be working together in the field; one will be taken, the other left.
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
Two men in a field: one taken, one left. Christ's coming brings a decisive separation among people living side by side.
Overview
In the midst of ordinary work, the coming of the Son of Man divides humanity. Outward similarity does not guarantee the same destiny; the heart's readiness matters. Interpreters differ on whether being 'taken' means gathered to Christ or removed in judgment, but the central truth is a real and sudden separation. The verse urges each person to be ready, not presuming on appearances.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 6
- Luke 17:34–37I tell you, on that night two people will be in one bed: One will be taken and the other left.
- 2 Pet 2:7–9and if He rescued Lot, a righteous man distressed by the depraved conduct of the lawless
- 2 Pet 2:5if He did not spare the ancient world when He brought the flood on its ungodly people, but preserved Noah, a preacher of righteousness, among the eight;
- Luke 23:39–43One of the criminals who hung there heaped abuse on Him. “Are You not the Christ?” he said. “Save Yourself and us!”
- 2 Chr 33:12–24And in his distress, Manasseh sought the favor of the LORD his God and earnestly humbled himself before the God of his fathers.
- 1 Cor 4:7For who makes you so superior? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Matthew presents Jesus as the promised King — son of David, son of Abraham — the new Moses and true Israel in whom every prophecy reaches 'that it might be fulfilled.'
How Matthew 24:40 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.