Luke 17:31

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.

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Word by word — the Greek

Word	Greek	Strong’s	Meaning
In	ἐν en	G1722	"in · preposition
that	ἐκείνῃ ekeinē	G1565	that one (or (neuter) thing) · demonstrative pronoun — dative singular feminine
day	ἡμέρᾳ hēmera	G2250	day · noun — dative singular feminine
he which	ὃς hos	G3739	the relatively (sometimes demonstrative) pronoun · relative pronoun — nominative singular masculine
shall be	ἔσομαι ésomai	G2071	will be
upon	ἐπὶ epi	G1909	properly · preposition
the housetop	δώματος dōmatos	G1430	properly · noun — genitive singular neuter
and	καὶ kai	G2532	and · conjunction
his	αὐτοῦ autou	G846	the reflexive pronoun self · personal pronoun — genitive singular masculine
stuff	σκεύη skeuē	G4632	a vessel · noun — nominative plural neuter
in	ἐν en	G1722	"in · preposition
the house	οἰκίᾳ, oikia	G3614	properly · noun — dative singular feminine
let him	καταβάτω katabatō	G2597	to descend (literally or figuratively) · verb — second aorist active imperative, 3rd person singular
not	μὴ mē	G3361	(adverb) not · particle — negative
come down	καταβαίνω katabaínō	G2597	to descend (literally or figuratively)
to take	ἆραι arai	G142	to lift up · verb — aorist active infinitive
it	αὐτά· auta	G846	the reflexive pronoun self · personal pronoun — accusative plural neuter
away	αἴρω aírō	G142	to lift up
and	καὶ kai	G2532	and · conjunction
he that is	τῇ tēa	G3588	the (sometimes to be supplied · article — dative singular feminine
in	ἐν en	G1722	"in · preposition
the field	ἀγρῷ agrō	G68	a field (as a drive for cattle) · noun — dative singular masculine
let him	ἐπιστρεψάτω epistrepsatō	G1994	to revert (literally · verb — aorist active imperative, 3rd person singular
likewise	ὁμοίως homoiōs	G3668	similarly · adverb
not	μὴ mē	G3361	(adverb) not · particle — negative
return	ἐπιστρέφω epistréphō	G1994	to revert (literally
back	ὀπίσω. opisō	G3694	to the back · adverb

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).

Cross-references

Jeremiah 45:5 And seekest thou great things for thyself? seek them not: for, behold, I will bring evil upon all flesh, saith the LORD: but thy life will I…
Matthew 16:26 For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?
Mark 13:14-16 But when ye shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not, (let him that readeth und…
Luke 21:21 Then let them which are in Judæa flee to the mountains; and let them which are in the midst of it depart out; and let not them that are in t…
Matthew 24:17-21 Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house:
Philippians 3:7-8 But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.
Job 2:4 And Satan answered the LORD, and said, Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life.
Matthew 6:25 Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put…

Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Luke 17:20–end

We have here a discourse of Christ's concerning the kingdom of God, that is, the kingdom of the Messiah, which was now shortly to be set up, and of which there was great expectation. I. Here is the demand of the Pharisees concerning it, which occasioned this discourse. They asked when the kingdom of God should come, forming a notion of it as a temporal kingdom, which should advance the Jewish nation above the nations of the earth. They were impatient to hear some tidings of its approach; they understood, perhaps, that Christ had taught his disciples to pray for the coming of it, and they had long preached that it was at hand. "Now," say the Pharisees, "when will that glorious view open? When…

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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Luke 17:31

to take it away . . . Remember, &c.--a warning against that lingering reluctance to part with present treasures which induces some to remain in a burning house, in hopes of saving this and that precious article till consumed and buried in its ruins. The cases here supposed, though different, are similar.

Adam Clarke on Luke 17:31

He which shall be upon the housetop - See this explained on Mat 24:17 (note).

John Gill on Luke 17:31

In that day, he which shall be upon the housetop,.... Either for diversion or devotion, when he shall hear that the Roman armies are approaching to Jerusalem, to besiege it: and his stuff in the house; or "his vessels", his goods and furniture; or his utensils, and instruments of trade and business: let him not come down; the inner way of the house, from the top: to take it away; with him in his flight, but let him descend by the steps, or ladder, on the outside of the house, and make his escape directly to Pella, or the mountains: and he that is in the field; at work, and has laid down his clothes in some certain part of the field, or at home: let him likewise not return back; to fetch…

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The Church Fathers

And he who is in the field, likewise, let him not turn back. He who works in the Church, and like Paul and Apollo plants and waters, let him not look back to secular hope, to which he has renounced.
— Bede, On the Gospel of Luke

He hereby implies that a persecution will come from the son of perdition upon Christ's faithful. By that day then He means the time previous to the end of the world, in which let not him who is flying return, nor care to lose his goods, lest he imitate Lot's wife, who when she fled out of the city of Sodom, turning back, died, and became a pillar of salt.
— Eusebius of Caesarea ((as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)), Catena Aurea by Aquinas

For he is on the housetop who, departing from carnal things, breathes as it were the free air of a spiritual life. But the vessels in the house are the carnal senses, which many using to discover truth which is only taken in by the intellect, have entirely missed it. Let the spiritual man then beware, lest in the day of tribulation he again take pleasure in the carnal life which is fed by the bodily senses, and descend to take away this world's vessels. It follows, And he that is in the field, let him not return back; that is, He who labours in the Church, as Paul planting and Apollos watering, let him not look back upon the worldly prospects which he has renounced.
— Augustine of Hippo ((as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)), Catena Aurea by Aquinas

The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).

Luke 17:31

Word by word — the Greek

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Luke 17:20–end

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Luke 17:31

Adam Clarke on Luke 17:31

John Gill on Luke 17:31

The Church Fathers

Luke 17:31

Word by word — the Greek

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Luke 17:20–end

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Luke 17:31

Adam Clarke on Luke 17:31

John Gill on Luke 17:31

The Church Fathers

John Calvin on Luke 17:26–end

Tyndale Open Study Notes on Luke 17:26-29