Matthew 24 · Verse 29

Matthew 24:29

Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:
Matthew 24:29, King James Version

Matthew 24:29 in other translations

BSBImmediately after the tribulation of those days: ‘The sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.’
WEB“But immediately after the suffering of those days, the sun will be darkened, the moon will not give its light, the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken;
ASVBut immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:
YLT‘And immediately after the tribulation of those days, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from the heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken;
DARBYBut immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun shall be darkened, and the moon not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken.
BBEBut straight away, after the trouble of those days, the sun will be made dark and the moon will not give her light and the stars will come down from heaven and the powers of heaven will be moved:
WebsterImmediately after the tribulation of those days, shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:

What does Matthew 24:29 mean?

Barnes' Notes
Verse 29. Shall the sun be darkened, etc. The images here used are not to be taken literally. They are often used by the sacred writers to denote any great calamities. As the darkening of the sun and moon, and the falling of the stars would be an inexpressible calamity, so any great catastrophe, any overturning of kingdoms or cities, or dethroning of kings and princes, is represented by the darkening of the sun and moon, and by some terrible convulsion in the elements. Thus the destruction of Babylon is foretold in similar terms, Isa 13:10; and of Tyre, Isa 24:23. The slaughter in Bozrah and Idumea is predicted in the same language, Isa 34:4. See also Isa 50:3, 60:19,20, Eze 32:7, Joel 3:15. To the description in Matthew, Luke has added, Lk 21:25 there should be "distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; men's hearts falling them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming upon the earth." All these are figures of great and terrible calamity. The roaring of the waves of the sea denotes great tumult and affliction among the people, Perplexity means doubt, anxiety; not knowing what to do to escape. Men's hearts failing them for fear, or by reason of fear. Their fears would be so great as to take away their courage and strength.

(a) "shall be darkened" Isa 13:10, Eze 32:7, Amos 5:20, Acts 2:20, Rev 6:12 (b) "heavens shall be shaken" 2Pet 3:10

Albert Barnes, 1834 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 29 Immediately after the tribulation, etc. - Commentators generally understand this, and what follows, of the end of the world and Christ's coming to judgment: but the word immediately shows that our Lord is not speaking of any distant event, but of something immediately consequent on calamities already predicted: and that must be the destruction of Jerusalem. "The Jewish heaven shall perish, and the sun and moon of its glory and happiness shall be darkened - brought to nothing. The sun is the religion of the Church; the moon is the government of the state; and the stars are the judges and doctors of both. Compare Isa 13:10; Eze 32:7, Eze 32:8, etc." Lightfoot. In the prophetic language, great commotions upon earth are often represented under the notion of commotions and changes in the heavens: - The fall of Babylon is represented by the stars and constellations of heaven withdrawing their light, and the sun and moon being darkened. See Isa 13:9, Isa 13:10. The destruction of Egypt, by the heaven being covered, the sun enveloped with a cloud, and the moon withholding her light. Eze 32:7, Eze 32:8. The destruction of the Jews by Antiochus Epiphanes is represented by casting down some of the host of heaven, and the stars to the ground. See Dan 8:10. And this very destruction of Jerusalem is represented by the Prophet Joel, Joe 2:30, Joe 2:31, by showing wonders in heaven and in earth - darkening the sun, and turning the moon into blood. This general mode of describing these judgments leaves no room to doubt the propriety of its application in the present case. The falling of stars, i.e. those meteors which are called falling stars by the common people, was deemed an omen of evil times. The heathens have marked this: - Saepe etiam stellas, vento impendente videbis Praecipites coelo labi, noctisque per umbram Flammarum longos a tergo albescere tractus Virg. Geor. i. ver. 365 And oft before tempestuous winds arise The seeming stars fall headlong from the skies, And, shooting through the darkness, gild the night With sweeping glories, and long trails of light Dryden Again the same poet thus sings: - Sol tibi signa dabit: solem quis dicere falsum Audeat? Ille etiam coecos instare tumultus Saepe monet: fraudemque et operta tumescere bella Ille etiam extincto miseratus Caesare Romam, Cum caput obscura nitidum ferrugine texit, Impiaque aeternam timuerunt saecula noctem Ibid. ver. 462 The sun reveals the secrets of the sky, And who dares give the source of light the lie? The change of empires often he declares, Fierce tumults, hidden treasons, open wars He first the fate of Caesar did foretell, And pitied Rome, when Rome in Caesar fell: In iron clouds concealed the public light, And impious mortals found eternal night Dryden

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Matthew 24:29-41
Christ foretells his second coming. It is usual for prophets to speak of things as near and just at hand, to express the greatness and certainty of them. Concerning Christ's second coming, it is foretold that there shall be a great change, in order to the making all things new. Then they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds. At his first coming, he was set for a sign that should be spoken against, but at his second coming, a sign that should be admired. Sooner or later, all sinners will be mourners; but repenting sinners look to Christ, and mourn after a godly sort; and those who sow in those tears shall shortly reap in joy. Impenitent sinners shall see Him whom they have pierced, and, though they laugh now, shall mourn and weep in endless horror and despair. The elect of God are scattered abroad; there are some in all places, and all nations; but when that great gathering day comes, there shall not one of them be missing. Distance of place shall keep none out of heaven. Our Lord declares that the Jews should never cease to be a distinct people, until all things he had been predicting were fulfilled. His prophecy reaches to the day of final judgment; therefore he here, ver. 34, foretells that Judah shall never cease to exist as a distinct people, so long as this world shall endure. Men of the world scheme and plan for generation upon generation here, but they plan not with reference to the overwhelming, approaching, and most certain event of Christ's second coming, which shall do away every human scheme, and set aside for ever all that God forbids. That will be as surprising a day, as the deluge to the old world. Apply this, first, to temporal judgments, particularly that which was then hastening upon the nation and people of the Jews. Secondly, to the eternal judgment. Christ here shows the state of the old world when the deluge came. They were secure and careless; they knew not, until the flood came; and they believed not. Did we know aright that all earthly things must shortly pass away, we should not set our eyes and hearts so much upon them as we do. The evil day is not the further off for men's putting it far from them. What words can more strongly describe the suddenness of our Saviour's coming! Men will be at their respective businesses, and suddenly the Lord of glory will appear. Women will be in their house employments, but in that moment every other work will be laid aside, and every heart will turn inward and say, It is the Lord! Am I prepared to meet him? Can I stand before him? And what, in fact, is the day of judgment to the whole world, but the day of death to every one?

Matthew Henry, 1706 · public domain

Matthew 24:29 in the original Greek

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

εὐθέωςeutheōsImmediatelyG2112
δὲdethenG1161
μετὰmetaafterG3326
τὴνtēntheG3588
θλῖψινthlipsintribulationG2347
τῶνtōnof theG3588
ἡμερῶνhēmerōndaysG2250
ἐκείνωνekeinōnof thoseG1565
ὁhoTheG3588
ἥλιοςhēliossunG2246
σκοτισθήσεται,skotisthēsetaiwill be darkened,G4654
καὶkaiandG2532
ἡhētheG3588
σελήνηselēnēmoonG4582
οὐounotG3756
δώσειdōseiwill giveG1325
τὸtotheG3588
φέγγοςphengoslightG5338
αὐτῆς,autēsof it,G846
καὶkaiandG2532
οἱhoitheG3588
ἀστέρεςasteresstarsG792
πεσοῦνταιpesountaiwill fallG4098
ἀπὸapofromG575
τοῦtoutheG3588
οὐρανοῦ,ouranousky,G3772
καὶkaiandG2532
αἱhaitheG3588
δυνάμειςdunameispowersG1411
τῶνtōnof theG3588
οὐρανῶνouranōnheavensG3772
σαλευθήσονται.saleuthēsontaiwill be shaken.’G4531

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Matthew 24:29

  • Amos 8:9

    And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord God, that I will cause the sun to go down at noon, and I will darken the earth in the clear day:

  • Joel 3:15

    The sun and the moon shall be darkened, and the stars shall withdraw their shining.

  • Isaiah 13:10

    For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine.

  • Isaiah 24:23

    Then the moon shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed, when the Lord of hosts shall reign in mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, and before his ancients gloriously.

  • Mark 13:24-25

    But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, And the stars of heaven shall fall, and the powers that are in heaven shall be shaken.

  • Acts 2:19-20

    And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke: The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come:

  • Revelation 6:12-17

    And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind. And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; …

  • Joel 2:30-31

    And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the Lord come.

  • 2 Peter 3:10

    But 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.

  • Isaiah 34:4

    And all the host of heaven shall be dissolved, and the heavens shall be rolled together as a scroll: and all their host shall fall down, as the leaf falleth off from the vine, and as a falling fig from the fig tree.

  • Joel 2:10

    The earth shall quake before them; the heavens shall tremble: the sun and the moon shall be dark, and the stars shall withdraw their shining:

  • Luke 21:25-26

    And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Immediately.
8; Da 7:11,12; Mr 13:24,25
shall the.
Isa 13:10; 24:23; Jer 4:23-28; Eze 32:7,8; Joe 2:10,30,31; 3:15
Am 5:20; 8:9; Zep 1:14,15; Lu 21:25,26; Ac 2:19,20; Re 6:12-17
the powers.
2Pe 3:10

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Matthew 24:28

    For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together.

  • Matthew 24:29

    Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:

  • Matthew 24:30

    And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.

Read all of Matthew 24

Matthew 24:29 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Y luego después de la aflicción de aquellos días, el sol se obscurecerá, y la luna no dará su lumbre, y las estrellas caerán del cielo, y las virtudes de los cielos serán conmovidas.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Et aussitôt après la tribulation de ces jours-là, le soleil sera obscurci, et la lune ne donnera pas sa lumière, et les étoiles tomberont du ciel, et les puissances des cieux seront ébranlées.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Alsbald aber nach der Drangsal jener Tage wird die Sonne verfinstert werden und der Mond seinen Schein nicht geben, und die Sterne werden vom Himmel fallen, und die Kräfte der Himmel werden erschüttert werden.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Statim autem post tribulationem dierum illorum sol obscurabitur, et luna non dabit lumen suum, et stellæ cadent de cælo, et virtutes cælorum commovebuntur: