Luke 12:39 (GNV)

Passage

Nowe vnderstand this, that if the good man of the house had knowen at what houre the theefe would haue come, he would haue watched, and would not haue suffered his house to be digged through.

Nearby Context

Luke 12:37 Blessed are those seruants, whom the Lord when he commeth shall finde waking: verely I say vnto you, he will girde himselfe about, and make them to sit downe at table, and will come forth, and serue them.

Luke 12:38 And if he come in the seconde watch, or come in the third watch, and shall finde them so, blessed are those seruants.

Luke 12:39 Nowe vnderstand this, that if the good man of the house had knowen at what houre the theefe would haue come, he would haue watched, and would not haue suffered his house to be digged through.

Luke 12:40 Be ye also prepared therefore: for the Sonne of man will come at an houre when ye thinke not.

Luke 12:41 Then Peter saide vnto him, Master, tellest thou this parable vnto vs, or euen to all?

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "nowe", "vnderstand", "good", "house", "knowen", "houre", "theefe", and "haue". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "nowe" and "vnderstand", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 38's "And if he come in the seconde..." into verse 40's "Be ye also prepared therefore for the...", so "nowe" and "vnderstand" belong inside that flow. In Luke context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "nowe" and "vnderstand" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.