Matthew 24:42-43

24:42 “Therefore stay alert, because you do not know on what day ¹  your Lord will come. 24:43 But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief ²  was coming, he would have been alert and would not have let his house be broken into.

Luke 12:39

12:39 But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief ³  was coming, he would not have let ⁴  his house be broken into.

Luke 12:1

Fear God, Not People

12:1 Meanwhile, ⁵  when many thousands of the crowd had gathered so that they were trampling on one another, Jesus ⁶  began to speak first to his disciples, “Be on your guard against ⁷  the yeast of the Pharisees, ⁸  which is hypocrisy. ⁹ 

Luke 5:2

5:2 He ¹⁰  saw two boats by the lake, but the fishermen had gotten out of them and were washing their nets.

Revelation 3:3

3:3 Therefore, remember what you received and heard, ¹¹  and obey it, ¹²  and repent. If you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will never ¹³  know at what hour I will come against ¹⁴  you.

Revelation 16:15

16:15 (Look! I will come like a thief!

Blessed is the one who stays alert and does not lose ¹⁵  his clothes so that he will not have to walk around naked and his shameful condition ¹⁶  be seen.) ¹⁷ 

[24:42]  ¹ tc Most later mss (L 0281 Ï lat) have here ὥρᾳ ({wra, “hour”) instead of ἡμέρα (Jemera, “day”). Although the merits of this reading could be argued either way, in light of the overwhelming and diverse early support for ἡμέρᾳ ({א B C D W Δ Θ Ë¹³ 33 892 1424, as well as several versions and fathers}), the more general term is surely correct.

[24:43]  ² sn On Jesus pictured as a returning thief, see 1 Thess 5:2, 4; 2 Pet 3:10; Rev 3:3; 16:15.

[12:39]  ³ sn On Jesus pictured as a returning thief, see 1 Thess 5:2, 4; 2 Pet 3:10; Rev 3:3; 16:15.

[12:39]  ⁴ tc Most mss (א¹ A B L Q W Θ Ψ 070 Ë^1,13 33 Ï lat sy^p,h sa^ms bo) read “he would have watched and not let” here, but this looks like an assimilation to Matt 24:43. The alliance of two important and early mss along with a few others (Ì⁷⁵ א* [D] e i sy^s,c sa^mss), coupled with much stronger internal evidence, suggests that the shorter reading is authentic.

[12:1]  ⁵ tn The phrase ἐν οἷς (en Jois) can be translated “meanwhile.”

[12:1]  ⁶ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[12:1]  ⁷ tn According to L&N 27.59, “to pay attention to, to keep on the lookout for, to be alert for, to be on your guard against.” This is another Lukan present imperative calling for constant vigilance.

[12:1]  ⁸ sn See the note on Pharisees in 5:17.

[12:1]  ⁹ sn The pursuit of popularity can lead to hypocrisy, if one is not careful.

[5:2]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “And he.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[3:3]  ¹¹ tn The expression πῶς εἴληφας καὶ ἤκουσας (pw" eilhfa" kai hkousa") probably refers to the initial instruction in the Christian life they had received and been taught; this included doctrine and ethical teaching.

[3:3]  ¹² tn Grk “keep it,” in the sense of obeying what they had initially been taught.

[3:3]  ¹³ tn The negation here is with οὐ μή (ou mh, the strongest possible form of negation in Koine Greek).

[3:3]  ¹⁴ tn Or “come on.”

[16:15]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “and keeps.” BDAG 1002 s.v. τηρέω 2.c states “of holding on to someth. so as not to give it up or lose it…τὰ ἱμάτια αὐτοῦ Rv 16:15 (or else he will have to go naked).”

[16:15]  ¹⁶ tn On the translation of ἀσχημοσύνη (aschmosunh) as “shameful condition” see L&N 25.202. The indefinite third person plural (“and they see”) has been translated as a passive here.

[16:15]  ¹⁷ sn These lines are parenthetical, forming an aside to the narrative. The speaker here is the Lord Jesus Christ himself rather than the narrator. Many interpreters have seen this verse as so abrupt that it could not be an original part of the work, but the author has used such asides before (1:7; 14:13) and the suddenness here (on the eve of Armageddon) is completely parallel to Jesus’ warning in Mark 13:15-16 and parallels.