But understand this: If the homeowner had known in which watch of the night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into.
Parallel translations
- WEB But 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.
- KJV But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up.
- 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.
- NASB But be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what time of the night the thief was coming, he would have been on the alert and would not have allowed his house to be broken into.
- NLT Understand this: If a homeowner knew exactly when a burglar was coming, he would keep watch and 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
A homeowner who knew the thief's hour would have stayed alert. Jesus uses this to teach unceasing vigilance.
Overview
Because no one can know when a thief strikes, the only safeguard is constant readiness. Jesus applies this to his coming, which will be similarly unexpected. The image is not that Christ is a thief in character but that his arrival is unannounced. Believers are to guard their lives as those expecting the Lord at any moment.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 7
- Luke 12:39But understand this: If the homeowner had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into.
- Matt 24:44For this reason, you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour you do not expect.
- 2 Pet 3:10–11But the Day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar, the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and its works will be laid bare.
- 1 Th 5:2–6For you are fully aware that the Day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.
- Exod 22:2–3If a thief is caught breaking in and is beaten to death, no one shall be guilty of bloodshed.
- Matt 20:11On receiving their pay, they began to grumble against the landowner.
- Prov 7:19For my husband is not at home; he has gone on a long journey.
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 24:43 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.