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.
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.
- 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.
- 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 know this, that if the master of the house had known in what hour the thief was coming, he would have watched, and not allowed his house to be broken into.
- Matt 24:44Therefore also be ready, for in an hour that you don’t expect, the Son of Man will come.
- 2 Pet 3:10–11But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will be dissolved with fervent heat, and the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up.
- 1 Th 5:2–6For you yourselves know well that the day of the Lord comes like a thief in the night.
- Exod 22:2–3If the thief is found breaking in, and is struck so that he dies, there shall be no guilt of bloodshed for him.
- Matt 20:11When they received it, they murmured against the master of the household,
- Prov 7:19For my husband isn’t 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.