Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Luke 17:27
They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all.
27. They did eat, they drank ] Rather, They were eating, they were drinking retaining the imperfects of the original.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Verse 27. They did eat, they drank, c.] They spent their whole lives in reference to this world and made no sort of provision for their immortal souls. So it was when the Romans came to destroy Judea; there was a universal carelessness, and no one seemed to regard the warnings given by the Son of God.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
They did eat, they drank,…. That is, the inhabitants of the old world ate and drank, not merely in a common way, with moderation, and for the support and comfort of life, which is not blameworthy, nor inconsistent with religious exercises; but they lived in an extravagant and luxurious manner; they indulged their sensual appetites, and put away the evil day far from them, that Noah told them of:
they married wives, they were given in marriage; not as should have been done by professors of religion among themselves; but the sons of God, or professors of the true religion, the posterity of Seth took them wives of the daughters of men, of the wicked, of the seed of Cain; and very likely gave their daughters in marriage to the sons of men; see Ge 6:2 and so they went on in a secure manner, notwithstanding all the remonstrances, warnings, and threatenings of God, by his servant:
until the day that Noe entered into the ark; which he had built by divine direction, for the saving of himself and family, and the creatures that were with him, from the waters of the flood; and this was in the six hundredth year of his life, in the second month, the month of October, and in the seventeenth day of that month; Ge 7:11
and the flood came and destroyed them all; all the inhabitants of the earth, every living substance, men, cattle, creeping things, and fowls of the heaven; all but Noah, and his wife, and his three sons, and their wives, and the creatures that were with him in the ark: the flood came not of itself, or by chance, or through the influence, or by the concurrence of second causes merely; though these were used, ordered, and directed by the first cause of all things; but it came by the power of God, according to his will; he brought it on the world of the ungodly; see 2Pe 2:5 The mode of expression is Jewish; it is said of Cain, who is supposed by the Jews to have lived till the flood, , “the flood came”, and washed him away g.
g Bereshit Rabba, sect. 32. fol. 27. 2. & Shemot Rabba, sect. 31. fol. 134. 4.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
They ate, they drank, they married, they were given in marriage (, , , ). Imperfects all of them vividly picturing the life of the time of Noah. But the other tenses are aorists (Noah entered , the flood came , destroyed ).
Fuente: Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament
1) “They did eat, they drank,” (esthion epinon) “They were continually eating and drinking,” in normalcy of their common, carnal, covetous desires, doing what was right in their own eyes, living it up, without respect for God, a fellowman, or the devil.
2) “They married wives, they were given in marriage,” (eagmoun) “Repeatedly marrying wives,” (egamizonteo) “And giving in marriage,” matters that in themselves were not evil, that were necessary to obey God in multiplying and replenishing the earth, Gen 1:28. They were absorbed in worldly pursuits, with disregard for the message of Noah, God’s man.
3) “Until the day that Noe entered into the ark,”, (achri hes hemeras eiselthen Noe eis ten riboton) “Until the day when Noah entered into the ark,” paying no attention to the call of Noah to repentance, the warning of coming judgment upon the earth; Because “all flesh had corrupted his way,” or order of and for human behavior or conduct, Gen 6:5; Gen 6:12.
4) “And the flood came, and destroyed them all.” (kai elthen ho kataklusmos kai apolesen pantas) “And the flood came and destroyed all things,” that were on earth, Heb 11:7; 1Pe 3:18-20. Though God preached to and warned them by Noah, through the Spirit, while the ark was being built, for a period of more than one hundred years, Mat 24:38-39; 2Pe 2:5; 2Pe 3:6.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
(27) They did eat, they drank.Better, as in St. Matthew, they were eating and drinking, marrying, . . .; the tense throughout being that which implies continuous and repeated action.
The flood.The Greek word is always used in the New Testament for the deluge of Noah, that meaning having been stamped on it by the use of it in the LXX. version in Gen. 6:17; Gen. 7:6-7; Gen. 7:10; Gen. 7:17.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
“They ate, they drank, they married, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all.”
And what happened in ‘the days of Noah?’ They ate, they drank, they married, they were given in marriage. In other words life seemed to be going on as normal. They continued blissfully unaware of Noah’s activities in their midst. They ignored both his building of the Ark which condemned the world (Heb 11:7) and the proclamation of his word among them (2Pe 2:5). They were complacent in their sin. And then Noah entered into the Ark and the flood came and destroyed them all.
‘They married, they were given in marriage.’ This may especially have in mind Gen 6:1-4, in which case it means that they not only ate and drank, but also that they engaged in the deepest sin. On the other hand the comparison with Lot might suggest that it is simply referring to the everyday things of life. This last view would seem to be confirmed by the use of a similar phrase in Luk 20:34-35 where the point is made that marrying and giving in marriage is something that happens on earth, but not in Heaven.
If we compare this with what has previously been said in Luk 17:22-25 what does it tell us? What we have described here is a period during ‘the days of Noah’ when the majority were living in blissful unawareness, even while the presence of Noah preaching among them was ignored. They simply continued in sin, eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage. And then came the climax. The one who had been among them went into the Ark, and the final result was that Judgment came on them. This suggests that we must see the comparative ‘days of the Son of Man’ as representing a similar period of unawareness while Jesus was preaching among men, followed by His being taken away, in His case by suffering, death and resurrection (Luk 17:25), resulting finally in His coming in final Judgment (Luk 17:24), this last following a period during which His own have bewailed His absence (Luk 17:22).
If we add to this that the Son of man was accused of eating and drinking among men (Luk 7:34) along with public servants and sinners, the parallel is even clearer. This means then that the event which follows ‘the days of the Son of Man’ is the crucifixion, resurrection, enthronement and coming again, all seen as one activity, which is how God saw them. By this He ‘entered the Ark’ and made possible salvation for all those who would follow Him. It was for all those who would follow Him without looking back (Luk 17:31 compare Luk 9:57-62), and for all those who would ‘enter the ark’ with Him by taking up the cross and following Him (Luk 17:33 with Luk 9:23-24).
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
27 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.
Ver. 27. They did eat, they drank ] An elegant assyndeton. For the reason whereof, See Trapp on “ Mat 24:38 “
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Luk 17:27 . , etc.: note the four verbs without connecting particles, a graphic asyndeton; and note the imperfect tense: those things going on up to the very hour of the advent, as it was in the days of Noah, or in the fateful day of Pompeii.
Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson
they drank = they were drinking (and so the Imperfect tense throughout the verse). Note the Figure of speech Asyndeton in this verse (App-6), to emphasize the crisis of the flood.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
[27. Comp. with this, Luk 17:33. How great, in truth, is the difference between those who are wholly immersed in temporal concerns, and those who give themselves up wholly to this one aim, that they may be enabled to stand accepted before the Son of man in the day of His appearing!-V. g.]
Fuente: Gnomon of the New Testament
Luk 12:19, Luk 12:20, Luk 16:19-23, Deu 6:10-12, Deu 8:12-14, 1Sa 25:36-38, Job 21:9-13, Isa 21:4, Isa 22:12-14, 1Th 5:1-3
Reciprocal: Gen 5:29 – he called Gen 6:14 – Make Gen 6:17 – bring Gen 7:7 – General Gen 7:10 – waters Gen 7:21 – General Gen 7:23 – every living substance Jdg 20:41 – were amazed 1Sa 30:16 – eating 2Ch 18:2 – Ahab Job 1:13 – when Job 22:15 – the old way Pro 23:34 – thou Ecc 2:5 – I planted Isa 5:14 – he that rejoiceth Isa 47:8 – I shall not Jer 16:8 – General Mat 24:37 – General Luk 3:36 – Noe Luk 20:34 – marry Rom 13:13 – rioting 1Th 5:3 – then 2Pe 2:5 – spared 2Pe 3:6 – General
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Verse 27
They did eat, they drank, &c.; that is, they lived at ease, and in fancied security.
Fuente: Abbott’s Illustrated New Testament
"Eating and drinking" and "marrying and being given in marriage" are phrases that describe people living life normally. The return of Jesus would suddenly disrupt their lives and call them to a judgment. People living in Noah’s day were unprepared for the flood. Similarly most people living just before the Second Coming will be unprepared for the judgment that will follow Jesus’ return, and they will perish in it (cf. Mat 25:31-46).