Matthew 24 · Verse 39

Matthew 24:39

And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
Matthew 24:39, King James Version

Matthew 24:39 in other translations

BSBAnd they were oblivious, until the flood came and swept them all away. So will it be at the coming of the Son of Man.
WEBand they didn’t know until the flood came and took them all away, so will the coming of the Son of Man be.
ASVand they knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall be the coming of the Son of man.
YLTand they did not know till the flood came and took all away; so shall be also the presence of the Son of Man.
DARBYand they knew not till the flood came and took all away; thus also shall be the coming of the Son of man.
BBEAnd they had no care till the waters came and took them all away; so will be the coming of the Son of man.
WebsterAnd knew not until the flood came, and took them all away: so also will be the coming of the Son of man.

What does Matthew 24:39 mean?

Barnes' Notes
Verse 39. And knew not. That is, they knew not the exact time, until it came upon them. So, says he, it shall be when the Son of man shah come. They shall not know the precise time until he comes, and then they shall be found engaged in the ordinary business of life unconcerned.

Albert Barnes, 1834 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 39 And knew not - They considered not - did not lay Noah's warning to heart, till it was too late to profit by it: so shall it be - and so it was in this coming of the Son of man.

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…

Read the full comment on Matthew 24:29-41 →

Matthew 24:39 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.

καὶkaiAndG2532
οὐκouknotG3756
ἔγνωσανegnōsanthey knewG1097
ἕωςhe'ōsuntilG2193
ἦλθενēlthencameG2064
ὁhotheG3588
κατακλυσμὸςkataklusmosfloodG2627
καὶkaiandG2532
ἦρενērentook awayG142
ἅπαντας,hapantasall,G537
οὕτωςhoutōsthusG3779
ἔσταιestaiwill beG1510
καὶkaialsoG2532
ἡhētheG3588
παρουσίαparousiacomingG3952
τοῦtouof theG3588
υἱοῦhuiouSonG5207
τοῦtou<the>G3588
ἀνθρώπου.¶anthrōpouof Man.G444

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

Cross references for Matthew 24:39

  • John 3:20

    For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.

  • Matthew 24:37

    But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

  • Acts 13:41

    Behold, ye despisers, and wonder, and perish: for I work a work in your days, a work which ye shall in no wise believe, though a man declare it unto you.

  • Isaiah 44:18-19

    They have not known nor understood: for he hath shut their eyes, that they cannot see; and their hearts, that they cannot understand. And none considereth in his heart, neither is there knowledge nor understanding to say, I have burned part of it in the fire; yea, also I have baked bread upon the coals thereof; I have roasted flesh, and eaten it: and shall I make the residue thereof an abomination? shall I fall down to the stock of a tree?

  • Proverbs 24:12

    If thou sayest, Behold, we knew it not; doth not he that pondereth the heart consider it? and he that keepeth thy soul, doth not he know it? and shall not he render to every man according to his works?

  • 2 Peter 3:5

    For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water:

  • Proverbs 29:7

    The righteous considereth the cause of the poor: but the wicked regardeth not to know it.

  • Isaiah 42:25

    Therefore he hath poured upon him the fury of his anger, and the strength of battle: and it hath set him on fire round about, yet he knew not; and it burned him, yet he laid it not to heart.

  • Romans 1:28

    And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;

  • Proverbs 23:35

    They have stricken me, shalt thou say, and I was not sick; they have beaten me, and I felt it not: when shall I awake? I will seek it yet again.

  • Luke 19:44

    And shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation.

  • Judges 20:34

    And there came against Gibeah ten thousand chosen men out of all Israel, and the battle was sore: but they knew not that evil was near them.

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

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
13:13-15; Jud 20:34; Pr 23:35; 24:12; 29:7; Isa 42:25; 44:18,19
Lu 19:44; Joh 3:20; Ac 13:41; Ro 1:28; 2Pe 3:5

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

Context

  • Matthew 24:38

    For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,

  • Matthew 24:39

    And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

  • Matthew 24:40

    Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.

Read all of Matthew 24

Matthew 24:39 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909
Y no conocieron hasta que vino el diluvio y llevó á todos, así será también la venida del Hijo del hombre.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885
et ils ne connurent rien, jusqu’à ce que le déluge vint et les emporta tous, ainsi sera aussi la venue du fils de l’homme.
German
Elberfelder 1871
und sie es nicht erkannten, bis die Flut kam und alle wegraffte, also wird auch die Ankunft des Sohnes des Menschen sein.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate
et non cognoverunt donec venit diluvium, et tulit omnes: ita erit et adventus Filii hominis.