LUK 17:20-37

The Coming of the Kingdom

20And when he was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God was coming, he answered them and said, "The kingdom of God does not come with careful observation,

21nor will they say, 'Look, here it is!' or 'There!' For behold, the kingdom of God is within you."

22And he said to the disciples, "Days are coming when you will desire to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it.

23And they will say to you, 'Look there!' or 'Look here!' Do not go out or follow.

24For just as the lightning, when it flashes, shines from one part of the sky to another part of the sky, so will the Son of Man be in his day.

25But first he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.

26And just as it was in the days of Noah, so also it will be in the days of the Son of Man.

27They were eating, they were drinking, they were marrying, they were being given in marriage, until the day Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all.

28Likewise, just as it was in the days of Lot: they were eating, they were drinking, they were buying, they were selling, they were planting, they were building.

29But on the day Lot went out from Sodom, fire and sulfur rained from heaven and destroyed them all.

30According to these things it will be on the day the Son of Man is revealed.

31On that day, whoever is on the housetop and his goods are in the house—let him not go down to take them; and likewise whoever is in the field—let him not turn back.

32Remember Lot's wife.

33Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses it will give it life.

34I tell you, on that night there will be two in one bed; one will be taken and the other will be left.

35There will be two women grinding together; one will be taken and the other will be left.

36Two will be in the field; one will be taken and the other will be left."

37And answering, they said to him, "Where, Lord?" And he said to them, "Where the body is, there also the vultures will be gathered."

In the world it was spoken into

In 1st-century Jewish thought, the Pharisees expected the Kingdom of God to arrive with visible, apocalyptic signs, often tied to political liberation from Roman rule. Jesus’ response subverts this expectation, emphasizing that the Kingdom is not something to be observed externally but is already present 'within' or 'among' them. This would have challenged the Pharisees’ focus on external signs and rituals. For Jesus’ disciples, the warning about the days of the Son of Man reflects a broader apocalyptic tradition, where sudden, unexpected events (like lightning) symbolize divine intervention. The references to Noah and Lot highlight the theme of sudden judgment and the need for readiness, resonating with Jewish eschatological narratives. The mention of marriage underscores ordinary life continuing until the moment of crisis, a common motif in apocalyptic literature. The final image of vultures gathering around a corpse would have evoked both Jewish and Greco-Roman associations of death and divine judgment.

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How other translations render this

LUK 17:20

KJV: And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation:
BSB: When asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, “The kingdom of God will not come with observable signs.
Koinōnos: And when he was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God was coming, he answered them and said, "The kingdom of God does not come with careful observation,

LUK 17:21

KJV: Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.
BSB: Nor will people say, ‘Look, here it is,’ or ‘There it is.’ For you see, the kingdom of God is in your midst.”
Koinōnos: nor will they say, 'Look, here it is!' or 'There!' For behold, the kingdom of God is within you.

LUK 17:22

KJV: And he said unto the disciples, The days will come, when ye shall desire to see one of the days of the Son of man, and ye shall not see it.
BSB: Then He said to the disciples, “The time is coming when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, but you will not see it.
Koinōnos: And he said to the disciples, "Days are coming when you will desire to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it.

LUK 17:23

KJV: And they shall say to you, See here; or, see there: go not after them, nor follow them.
BSB: People will tell you, ‘Look, there He is!’ or ‘Look, here He is!’ Do not go out or chase after them.
Koinōnos: And they will say to you, 'Look there!' or 'Look here!' Do not go out or follow.

LUK 17:24

KJV: For as the lightning, that lighteneth out of the one part under heaven, shineth unto the other part under heaven; so shall also the Son of man be in his day.
BSB: For just as the lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one end to the other, so will be the Son of Man in His day.
Koinōnos: For just as the lightning, when it flashes, shines from one part of the sky to another part of the sky, so will the Son of Man be in his day.

LUK 17:25

KJV: But first must he suffer many things, and be rejected of this generation.
BSB: But first He must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.
Koinōnos: But first he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.

LUK 17:26

KJV: And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man.
BSB: Just as it was in the days of Noah, so also will it be in the days of the Son of Man:
Koinōnos: And just as it was in the days of Noah, so also it will be in the days of the Son of Man.

LUK 17:27

KJV: They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all.
BSB: People were eating and drinking, marrying and being given in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came and destroyed them all.
Koinōnos: They were eating, they were drinking, they were marrying, they were being given in marriage, until the day Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all.

LUK 17:28

KJV: Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded;
BSB: It was the same in the days of Lot: People were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building.
Koinōnos: Likewise, just as it was in the days of Lot: they were eating, they were drinking, they were buying, they were selling, they were planting, they were building.

LUK 17:29

KJV: But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all.
BSB: But on the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all.
Koinōnos: But on the day Lot went out from Sodom, fire and sulfur rained from heaven and destroyed them all.

LUK 17:30

KJV: Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.
BSB: It will be just like that on the day the Son of Man is revealed.
Koinōnos: According to these things it will be on the day the Son of Man is revealed.

LUK 17:31

KJV: In that day, he which shall be upon the housetop, and his stuff in the house, let him not come down to take it away: and he that is in the field, let him likewise not return back.
BSB: On that day, let no one on the housetop come down to retrieve his possessions. Likewise, let no one in the field return for anything he has left behind.
Koinōnos: On that day, whoever is on the housetop and his goods are in the house—let him not go down to take them; and likewise whoever is in the field—let him not turn back.

LUK 17:33

KJV: Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it.
BSB: Whoever tries to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will preserve it.
Koinōnos: Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses it will give it life.

LUK 17:34

KJV: I tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left.
BSB: I tell you, on that night two people will be in one bed: One will be taken and the other left.
Koinōnos: I tell you, on that night there will be two in one bed; one will be taken and the other will be left.

LUK 17:35

KJV: Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
BSB: Two women will be grinding grain together: One will be taken and the other left.”
Koinōnos: There will be two women grinding together; one will be taken and the other will be left.

LUK 17:36

KJV: Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
Koinōnos: Two will be in the field; one will be taken and the other will be left.

LUK 17:37

KJV: And they answered and said unto him, Where, Lord? And he said unto them, Wheresoever the body is, thither will the eagles be gathered together.
BSB: “Where, Lord?” they asked. Jesus answered, “Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather.”
Koinōnos: And answering, they said to him, "Where, Lord?" And he said to them, "Where the body is, there also the vultures will be gathered.

Only verses where the wording diverges meaningfully are shown. Identical phrasings are suppressed.

Translator's notes

LUK 17:20

careful observation,:The word translated 'careful observation' refers to a close, detailed scrutiny, often with the implication of being under surveillance or being watched for specific signs.

LUK 17:21

of God:The term used here, translated 'of God,' literally means 'within' or 'inside.' It suggests the kingdom's presence is internal or among the people, rather than an external, observable event.

LUK 17:27

were being given in marriage,:The phrase 'were being given in marriage' describes the act of women being given by their families to husbands, highlighting a common social practice of the time.

LUK 17:33

life:The word translated 'life' here can refer to one's physical existence, but also to the inner self, the soul, or the essence of a person's being.