Luke 17:24

24 For as the lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one end to the other, so it will be on the day when the Son of Man comes.

Luke 17:24 Meaning and Commentary

Luke 17:24

For as the lightning that lighteneth out of the one
[part] under heaven
The Syriac version reads, "out of heaven", and the Arabic version, "in heaven"; which is the seat of lightning, and from whence it arises:

and shineth unto the other part under heaven;
enlightens the earth, which is under the heaven: though the sense of the words, as they lie in the original text, seems to be, that as the lightning lightens at one end of the heavens, and shines to the other; which is done at once, in a moment, in a twinkling of the eye, and to which agrees the Ethiopic version;

so shall also the son of man be in his day:
which is not to be understood of the swift progress of the Gospel, after his resurrection and ascension, and the pouring forth of his Spirit; but of his sudden coming, first to take vengeance on the Jewish nation for their rejection of him, and then at the last day, to judge both quick and dead. By his day, is meant his kingdom and glory, or his appearance with power, and great glory: Thus we read F6 for Solomon, (wtevb) , "in his hour", that is, in his glory, in the time of his kingdom, when he was in his greatest magnificence.


FOOTNOTES:

F6 Misna Bava Metzia, c. 7. sect. 1. & Jarchi & Bartenora in ib. Vid. Shirhashirim Rabba, fol. 15. 4. & 16. 1.

Luke 17:24 In-Context

22 Then he said to his disciples, “The time is coming when you will long to see the day when the Son of Man returns, but you won’t see it.
23 People will tell you, ‘Look, there is the Son of Man,’ or ‘Here he is,’ but don’t go out and follow them.
24 For as the lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one end to the other, so it will be on the day when the Son of Man comes.
25 But first the Son of Man must suffer terribly and be rejected by this generation.
26 “When the Son of Man returns, it will be like it was in Noah’s day.

Footnotes 1

  • [a]. Some manuscripts do not include on the day.
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