Luke 17:26
And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man.
Original Language Analysis
Cross References
Historical Context
Genesis 6-9 records the flood narrative. God saw that 'the wickedness of man was great in the earth' (Genesis 6:5) and determined to destroy all flesh except Noah's family (eight people) and representative animals. Noah built the ark over many years—tradition suggests 120 years (Genesis 6:3)—providing extended opportunity for repentance. Yet only his family entered the ark; everyone else perished in the flood (Genesis 7:21-23).
First-century Jews knew this history well. Jesus assumes His audience's familiarity with Noah. The comparison would resonate: just as antediluvian humanity ignored God's messenger and warning, so Jesus' generation was ignoring Him. Peter later develops this typology (1 Peter 3:20-21, 2 Peter 2:5, 3:3-7), arguing that as God judged the ancient world with water, He will judge the present world with fire. Both Noah's flood and the final judgment follow the same pattern: God warns, people scoff, judgment comes suddenly, the faithful remnant is saved, the disobedient perish. The application to Christ's hearers was urgent: don't repeat history's tragic folly by ignoring God's final messenger.
Questions for Reflection
- How does the comparison to Noah's generation challenge the assumption that life will continue indefinitely without divine intervention?
- What does spiritual complacency look like in contemporary culture's pursuit of normal life (career, family, pleasure) while ignoring eternal realities?
- How should knowing that the world was once destroyed by flood affect your view of God's coming judgment by fire (2 Peter 3:7)?
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Analysis & Commentary
And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. Jesus draws a parallel between Noah's era and His second coming. The phrase as it was in the days of Noe (καθὼς ἐγένετο ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις Νῶε, kathōs egeneto en tais hēmerais Nōe) references Genesis 6-8, when humanity's wickedness provoked God's judgment through the flood. The comparison—so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man (οὕτως ἔσται καὶ ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις τοῦ υἱοῦ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου, houtōs estai kai en tais hēmerais tou huiou tou anthrōpou)—establishes eschatological typology.
What characterized Noah's generation? Verse 27 details: eating, drinking, marrying—normal life pursued with no thought of coming judgment. Genesis 6:5 describes comprehensive wickedness: 'every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.' Yet the specific point here isn't extraordinary depravity but ordinary complacency—life as usual despite prophetic warning (2 Peter 2:5 calls Noah a 'preacher of righteousness'). People ignored Noah's ark-building and preaching, assuming stability would continue indefinitely.
The pattern repeats at Christ's return: people will pursue normal activities—business, pleasure, relationships—oblivious to impending judgment. The problem isn't eating or marrying per se but spiritual apathy that ignores God's warnings. Like Noah's contemporaries, the last generation will dismiss 'doomsday preaching' as fanaticism, continuing in sin until suddenly, unexpectedly, the day of reckoning arrives (Matthew 24:37-39). The warning: don't be lulled by normalcy into forgetting accountability to God.