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.
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.
- BSB 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.
- 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 12:39And this know, that if the goodman of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched, and not have suffered his house to be broken through.
- Matt 24:44Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.
- 2 Pet 3:10–11But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.
- 1 Th 5:2–6For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.
- Exod 22:2–3If a thief be found breaking up, and be smitten that he die, there shall no blood be shed for him.
- Matt 20:11And when they had received it, they murmured against the goodman of the house,
- Prov 7:19For the goodman is not at home, he is gone a long journey:
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
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.