Luke 17:27 Meaning and Explanation
“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.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →People ate, drank, and married right up to the day Noah entered the ark; then the flood came and destroyed them all.
What Does Luke 17:27 Mean?
Jesus lists the activities of Noah's neighbors, and the list is striking for its innocence — no violence or idolatry named, just meals and weddings. The fault was not in the eating but in the inattention: life lived entirely as though God had not spoken.
The flood "came, and destroyed them all" — not because they were busier than Noah, but because they were unready. Good things become dangerous when they fill the space where watchfulness should live. The verse does not call us out of ordinary life; Noah ate and married too. It calls us to live the ordinary with the heart's door open toward God, so that His day finds us His.
Luke 17:27 in the Original Language
kataklysmos (κατακλυσμός), 'flood' -- the deluge; the root of the word cataclysm.
Frequently Asked Questions About Luke 17:27
What does Luke 17:27 mean?
People ate, drank, and married right up to the day Noah entered the ark; then the flood came and destroyed them all.