34Jesus said: "Take heed now to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with the aftereffects of drinking and drunkenness and the anxious cares of life, and that day come upon you suddenly. [21:35] For as a snare it will come in upon all those sitting upon the face of all the earth. [21:36] Be sleepless at every season, beseeching that you may have strength to escape all these things that are soon to come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man." [21:37] Now during the days he was in the temple teaching, and the nights, going out, he was lodging on the mountain called Olives. [21:38] And all the people were coming to him at dawn in the temple to hear him.
LUK 21:34-38
Be Watchful for the Day
In the world it was spoken into
In first-century Judea, the imagery of sudden calamity and vigilance would resonate deeply with Jewish audiences familiar with prophetic warnings and apocalyptic expectations. The mention of 'dissipation' and 'drunkenness' evokes the moral decay often associated with Gentile excesses, while 'cares of life' reflects the daily anxieties of subsistence living under Roman occupation. The call to 'watch' aligns with Jewish practices of nocturnal prayer and vigilance, particularly in anticipation of divine intervention or judgment. The 'day that comes as a snare' echoes prophetic language (e.g., Amos 5:18-20), suggesting an eschatological event that demands readiness. Jesus’ daily teaching in the temple and nightly retreat to the Mount of Olives underscores his role as a prophetic figure, drawing on the temple’s centrality in Jewish religious life and the Mount of Olives’ eschatological significance (Zechariah 14:4). The early morning return highlights his dedication to teaching, contrasting with the spiritual lethargy warned against.
›See the receipts
How other translations render this
LUK 21:34
- KJV
- And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares.
- BSB
- But watch yourselves, or your hearts will be weighed down by dissipation, drunkenness, and the worries of life—and that day will spring upon you suddenly like a snare.
- Koinōnos
- Jesus said: "Take heed now to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with the aftereffects of drinking and drunkenness and the anxious cares of life, and that day come upon you suddenly.
LUK 21:35
- KJV
- For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth.
- BSB
- For it will come upon all who dwell on the face of all the earth.
- Koinōnos
- For as a snare it will come in upon all those sitting upon the face of all the earth.
LUK 21:36
- KJV
- Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.
- BSB
- So keep watch at all times, and pray that you may have the strength to escape all that is about to happen and to stand before the Son of Man.”
- Koinōnos
- Be sleepless at every season, beseeching that you may have strength to escape all these things that are soon to come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man.
LUK 21:37
- KJV
- And in the day time he was teaching in the temple; and at night he went out, and abode in the mount that is called the mount of Olives.
- BSB
- Every day Jesus taught at the temple, but every evening He went out to spend the night on the Mount of Olives.
- Koinōnos
- Now during the days he was in the temple teaching, and the nights, going out, he was lodging on the mountain called Olives.
LUK 21:38
- KJV
- And all the people came early in the morning to him in the temple, for to hear him.
- BSB
- And early in the morning all the people would come to hear Him at the temple.
- Koinōnos
- And all the people were coming to him at dawn in the temple to hear him.
Only verses where the wording diverges meaningfully are shown. Identical phrasings are suppressed.
Where the historical framing draws from
- Josephus, WarsWars 2.8.12
›Josephus, Wars Wars 2.8.12
“There are also those among them who undertake to foretell things to come, by reading the holy books, and using several sorts of purifications, and being perpetually conversant in the discourses of the prophets”
Cited to ground: The call to 'watch' aligns with Jewish practices of nocturnal prayer and vigilance, particularly in anticipation of divine intervention or judgment.
Translator's notes
LUK 21:34
- dissipation:The word translated 'dissipation' refers to the physical sickness and headache that follows a night of excessive drinking, rather than the act of drinking itself.
- cares:The term used here for 'cares' often implies an anxious, distracting worry that can consume one's thoughts and attention.
LUK 21:36
- do watch:The word translated 'do watch' literally means to be sleepless or to pass a night without sleep, emphasizing a state of constant vigilance and alertness.
LUK 21:38
- was coming early:The phrase 'was coming early' specifically means to rise at dawn or to come at first light, indicating a very early morning arrival.