The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of,
Parallel translations
- WEB the lord of that servant will come in a day when he doesn’t expect it, and in an hour when he doesn’t know it,
- BSB The master of that servant will come on a day he does not expect and at an hour he does not anticipate.
- NKJV the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him and at an hour that he is not aware of,
- NASB then the master of that slave will come on a day that he does not expect, and at an hour that he does not know,
- NLT The master will return unannounced and unexpected,
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
The master returns on a day and hour the servant does not expect. Unexpected accountability overtakes the careless.
Overview
The very delay the wicked servant counted on becomes his undoing, for the master arrives unannounced. The unknown hour that was meant to keep him watchful instead catches him in sin. This reinforces the discourse's theme that the timing of Christ's coming is hidden to test the heart. No one presuming on delay will be ready.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 4
- Rev 3:3Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee.
- 1 Th 5:2–3For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.
- Matt 24:42–44Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.
- Prov 29:1He, that being often reproved hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy.
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 24:50 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
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