Mark 13:33 Meaning and Explanation
“Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →Because no one knows when the time will come, Jesus commands: take heed, watch and pray.
What Does Mark 13:33 Mean?
Jesus draws the practical conclusion from the unknown hour. Three commands fall in a row — take heed, watch, pray — turning ignorance of the calendar into a way of life. What his disciples cannot know becomes the very reason for what they must do.
Not knowing the time is not a problem to solve but a posture to keep. Watchfulness here is spiritual wakefulness: a heart kept soft, sins kept short, love kept warm, prayer kept constant — life lived as if the Lord might be at the door, because he is. Prayer belongs beside watching because wakefulness is not self-made; the drowsy heart must keep asking for grace to stay awake. Readiness, in the end, is simply abiding now with the One we hope to meet then.
Mark 13:33 in the Original Language
agrypneo (ἀγρυπνέω), 'watch' -- to stay sleepless, keeping awake through the night.
Frequently Asked Questions About Mark 13:33
What does Mark 13:33 mean?
Because no one knows when the time will come, Jesus commands: take heed, watch and pray.