Matthew 24:38 · Bible study
Matthew 24:38 Commentary: The Ordinary Days Before the Flood
Greek · 5 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
In Matthew 24:38, Jesus compares His return to Noah's day. Why focus on everyday activities? Discover the warning behind normal routines in this study page.
Research Summary
- Meaning: Jesus compares His return to the flood to warn against spiritual complacency in the middle of ordinary life.
- Key words: τρώγοντες (to gnaw/eat greedily, suggesting brutish indulgence); ἦσαν + present participles (continuous state of living).
- Main debate: Whether the activities are inherently sinful (Gill sees gluttony and unlawful marriages; Barnes emphasizes mere absorption).
- Theological theme: Sudden judgment comes at an ordinary moment, separating the ready from the unaware.
- Best use: A call to watchfulness that does not require abandoning daily life but reorienting it toward Christ.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark.
WEB World English Bible 2000
For as in those days which were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ship,
KJV King James Version 1769
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,
ASV American Standard Version 1901
For as in those days which were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark,
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
for as they were, in the days before the flood, eating, and drinking, marrying, and giving in marriage, till the day Noah entered into the ark,
Darby Darby Bible 1890
For as they were in the days which were before the flood, eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day on which Noe entered into the ark,
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
For, as in the days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, even till that day in which Noe entered into the ark:
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Porque como en los días antes del diluvio estaban comiendo y bebiendo, casándose y dando en casamiento, hasta el día que Noé entró en el arca,
Pois, assim como naqueles dias antes do dilúvio comiam, bebiam, casavam, e davam-se em casamento, até o dia em que Noé entrou na arca;
Car, dans les jours qui précédèrent le déluge, les hommes mangeaient et buvaient, se mariaient et mariaient leurs enfants, jusqu’ au jour où Noé entra dans l’ arche;
Denn gleichwie sie waren in den Tagen vor der Sintflut, sie aßen, sie tranken, sie freiten und ließen sich freien, bis an den Tag, da Noah zu der Arche einging.
Want gelijk zij waren in de dagen voor den zondvloed, etende en drinkende, trouwende en ten huwelijk uitgevende, tot den dag toe, in welken Noach in de ark ging;
Infatti, come ne’ giorni innanzi al diluvio si mangiava e si beveva, si prendea moglie e s’andava a marito, sino al giorno che Noè entrò nell’arca,
Albowiem jako za dni onych przed potopem jedli, i pili, i ożeniali się i za mąż wydawali, aż do onego dnia, którego wszedł Noe do korabia,
ибо, как во дни перед потопом ели, пили, женились и выходили замуж, до того дня, как вошел Ной в ковчег,
當 洪水 以前 的 日子，人照常吃 喝 嫁 娶，直到 挪亞 進 方舟 的那日；
Because as in those days before the overflowing of the waters, they were feasting and taking wives and getting married, till the day when Noah went into the ark,
Verse in Context
Original Language (Koine Greek)
New Testament · Koine Greek · Matthew 24:38
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators across traditions agree that the activities Jesus lists, eating, drinking, marrying, giving in marriage, are not sinful in themselves. Barnes notes that Jesus' point is not that these things were wrong, but that people were completely absorbed in them, with no regard for the coming flood. Gill adds that the Greek verb τρώγοντες (eating) implies a brutish, greedy kind of eating, and that Genesis 6 reveals the marriages were often unlawful. Matthew Henry similarly observes that the people were “carnally secure,” so taken up with the world that they ignored Noah's warning. The common thread: ordinary routines can become a spiritual anaesthetic. The flood arrived suddenly, and they were not prepared. Jesus uses this to warn that His return will come just as unexpectedly, and the only safe place is to be found faithful.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Low
What is clear: Jesus uses the flood as a warning that His return will interrupt normal life and separate those who are prepared from those who are not.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Sinfulness of the activities | All traditions agree that eating, drinking, and marrying are not sinful in themselves. | Some commentators (Gill) stress that the specific Greek word for 'eating' suggests greed or brutishness, and the marriages were likely unlawful (Genesis 6:2). Others (Barnes, Matthew Henry) emphasize that the activities themselves were morally neutral but became sinful because of the absorption and indifference to God. |
| The nature of the flood | Christians across traditions affirm the flood as a historical judgment from God recorded in Genesis. | Some read it as a literal worldwide deluge, while others see it as a regional or figurative account. The essential point in Matthew 24 is the principle of sudden judgment, not the extent of the waters. |
| The timing of Christ's return | All agree that Christ will return suddenly and unexpectedly, like the flood. | Debate exists over whether there will be signs preceding the return (as in Matthew 24:4-14) or whether the suddenness excludes any warning. Most hold both: signs for the generation that sees them, but no exact day or hour known. |
Historical & Cultural Context
This verse sits in Jesus’ Olivet Discourse (Matthew 24, 25), a private conversation with his disciples about the destruction of the temple and the end of the age. Throughout the discourse, Jesus urges watchfulness. Verse 37 sets up the comparison: “As the days of Noah were, so will the coming of the Son of Man be.” Verse 38 expands the picture by specifying what those days looked like.
In first-century Judaism, Noah was a familiar figure of both judgment and deliverance. The flood story from Genesis 6, 8 was read in synagogues and interpreted as a warning against moral corruption. Josephus and other Jewish writers used Noah to illustrate God’s justice and mercy. Jesus draws on that shared cultural memory.
The activities Jesus lists, eating, drinking, marrying, giving in marriage, were the fabric of ancient life. Weddings especially were community events that could last a week. But Genesis 6 portrays a society so immersed in violence and lust that “every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time” (Genesis 6:5). Jesus does not quote that verse, but his audience would have known the dark backdrop. The people were not just busy; they were willfully indifferent. Noah, a “preacher of righteousness” (2 Peter 2:5), had warned them for decades while building the ark. They ignored him until the moment the door shut.
Jesus’ point is not to condemn marriage or meals. It is to show that judgment can fall at the most ordinary moment, when everyone is distracted by the normal rhythms of life. The parallel to His coming is direct: people today may be equally absorbed, and the Son of Man will return when they least expect it.
Textual Notes
The consulted sources note no significant textual variants for Matthew 24:38. The manuscript tradition is stable across the renderings of the verse, with differences limited to English translation choices (e.g., “ark” vs. “ship”).
Reception History
Throughout church history, this verse has been a standard text for exhorting watchfulness. Early church fathers like Chrysostom used it to warn against worldly distractions during Advent. In the medieval period, it was often paired with 1 Peter 3:20-21 to connect baptism with Noah’s ark as a type of salvation. The Reformers, especially Luther and Calvin, emphasized the verse as a call to faith in the Word over ordinary human securities. In modern evangelicalism, it is a key proof text for the suddenness of Christ’s return, often cited in sermons on readiness and the need to live each day with eternal perspective. Catholic and Orthodox traditions have similarly used it in homilies on the necessity of vigilance, especially during Lent.
Preaching This Verse
Three-Point Outline
- Normal life is not the enemy. Eating, drinking, and marrying are God-given gifts. The problem is when these gifts consume our attention so completely that we forget the Giver. The people of Noah’s day were not punished for having meals or weddings; they were punished for living as though God did not exist.
- Judgment arrives at an ordinary moment. There was nothing special about the day Noah entered the ark, except that it was the last day. Jesus says His return will be just that sudden. No warning signs in the middle of breakfast. The door closes.
- Watchfulness means living ready. The antidote to spiritual drowsiness is not abandoning daily life but living it with open eyes. Watchfulness is not frantic scanning of headlines; it is a steady orientation toward Christ in the middle of ordinary responsibilities.
Five-Point Outline
- The specific words Jesus chose. The Greek verb τρώγοντες (eating) suggests gnawing or chewing like an animal, not casual eating but voracious indulgence (Gill). This hints that the “normal” life of Noah’s day had become brutish and self-indulgent.
- The contrast with Noah. While everyone else ate and drank, Noah built an ark. He did not stop eating or marrying himself, but his life had a different centre: obedience to God’s word. The difference is the direction of the heart, not the activities themselves.
- The phrase “until the day.” This marks a cut-off point. God gave a long season of warning, but there came a moment when the offer expired. Grace has a door, and doors close.
- The verb “they knew not.” In verse 39, “they did not know” is more than intellectual ignorance. It is a refusal to know. They had Noah’s preaching, the sight of the ark, the character of God’s prophet, but they chose not to connect the dots.
- Two will be in the field… The following verses (40-41) show the sudden separation. The same ordinary activities, field work, grinding grain, become the setting for division. The urgent question is not what you are doing but who you are trusting.
Illustration Hooks
- A family so absorbed in planning a wedding that they ignore the fire alarm testing. The alarm is real; the wedding is not cancelled, but the danger is ignored until too late.
- A person scrolling through social media, checking the weather, deciding what to have for lunch, and in that split second the news breaks that a loved one has died. Ordinary time can be shattered in an instant.
- A community that dismisses a weather warning because the sun is still shining. The storm comes not during the rainy season but in the middle of a beautiful day.
Questions Your Congregation Is Asking
- Does Jesus want me to stop enjoying normal life? How do I balance daily responsibilities with spiritual readiness?
- If Christ returned right now, what would He find me doing? Would that embarrass me or reassure me?
- How can I tell if I am in Noah’s boat or outside it? What are the marks of genuine preparedness?
Leading a Discussion
This verse invites a simple but uncomfortable question: Am I so busy living that I have stopped looking for Christ? The people of Noah’s day were not bad people by the world’s standards, they were just people living life. But their absorption in the ordinary made them blind to the extraordinary. As you discuss this text, let it search your routines, not shame them.
Discussion Questions
- Observation: What specific activities does Jesus mention that people were doing before the flood? (List them from the verse.)
- Interpretation: Why does Jesus choose these four actions, eating, drinking, marrying, giving in marriage, to describe the “days of Noah”? What do they have in common?
- Interpretation: How does the word τρώγοντες (eating, with a sense of gnawing) change your picture of what was happening in Noah’s day? Does it suggest more than just normal meals? (See Gill’s comment.)
- Comparison: Read Genesis 6:5. How does the moral state of that generation add to Jesus’ warning? Does He expect us to see the same spiritual condition today?
- Application: In what ways can good, God-given activities like marriage or work become distractions from being ready for Christ’s return?
- Application: Jesus says they “did not know” until the flood came. How can we guard against the same kind of ignorance in our own lives?
- Response: What is one routine or preoccupation you sense the Spirit challenging as you read this verse? (Share only what you are comfortable with.)
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Genesis 6:2 | God’s sons saw that men’s daughters were beautiful, and they took any that they wanted for themselves as wives. |
| Genesis 7:7 | Noah went into the ship with his sons, his wife, and his sons’ wives, because of the floodwaters. |
| I Samuel 25:36 | Abigail came to Nabal; and behold, he held a feast in his house like the feast of a king. Nabal’s heart was merry within him, for he was very drunk. Therefore she told him nothing until the morning light. |
| I Samuel 25:38 | About ten days later, Yahweh struck Nabal, so that he died. |
| I Samuel 30:16 | When he had brought him down, behold, they were spread around over all the ground, eating, drinking, and dancing, because of all the great plunder that they had taken out of the land of the Philistines, and out of the land of Judah. |
| I Samuel 30:17 | David struck them from the twilight even to the evening of the next day. Not a man of them escaped from there, except four hundred young men who rode on camels and fled. |
| Isaiah 22:12 | In that day, the Lord, Yahweh of Armies, called to weeping, to mourning, to baldness, and to dressing in sackcloth; |
| Isaiah 22:14 | Yahweh of Armies revealed himself in my ears, “Surely this iniquity will not be forgiven you until you die,” says the Lord, Yahweh of Armies. |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
5 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes emphasizes that the activities Jesus mentions were not sinful in themselves. The problem was not what they did, but that their complete absorption in daily affairs left them utterly indifferent to the disaster about to fall on them.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva note highlights how people before the flood were so absorbed in ordinary daily routines—eating, drinking, marrying—that they remained unconcerned right up to the moment Noah entered the ark. Their preoccupation with normal life kept them unaware of approaching judgment.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill stresses that the people before the flood were not simply engaged in normal daily life but in sinful extremes: brutish gluttony, drunkenness, and unlawful marriages. They persisted in this wicked course despite Noah's warning, continuing right up to the day he entered the ark.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange reads Jesus' discourse as a series of three prophetic cycles, each covering the entire future from a different angle but drawing nearer to the final catastrophe. The first cycle describes general world events, the second focuses on Jerusalem's fall as the beginning of judgment, and the third depicts the sudden end. This cyclical structure is Lange's distinctive key to the passage.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry stresses that Christ's own words are more certain than heaven and earth themselves. While the exact time of his coming is hidden from all but the Father, the signs he gave should move believers to constant readiness, not idle speculation.