Luke 12:40 (GNV)

Passage

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

Nearby Context

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?

Luke 12:42 And the Lord saide, Who is a faithfull steward and wise, whom the master shall make ruler ouer his householde, to giue them their portion of meate in season?

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "prepared", "therefore", "sonne", "come", "houre", and "thinke". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "prepared" and "therefore", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 39's "Nowe vnderstand this that if the good..." into verse 41's "Then Peter saide vnto him Master tellest...", so "prepared" and "therefore" 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 "prepared" and "therefore" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.