Bible Strands
Luke 17:37
“Where, Lord?” they asked. Jesus answered, “Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather.”
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Jesus answers his disciples' question about the location of his coming judgment. The exchange occurs during his final teaching journey to Jerusalem, following his instructions on forgiveness and faith.
The words — ἀποκριθέντες (apokrithentes) literally means "answering" and marks Jesus' direct reply. ποῦ (pou) translates as "Where," framing the disciples' inquiry about the site of the event.
The thread — The exact phrase appears in Matthew 24:28, linking this teaching to eschatological judgment. The natural imagery of scavengers gathering at a carcass parallels the behavior described in Job 39:29.
Why it lands — The text requires readers to recognize that divine judgment will be unmistakably visible and universally apparent. It demands sober observation rather than speculative calculation regarding when or where the event will occur.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Greek words
King James Version
And they answered and said unto him, Where, Lord? And he said unto them, Wheresoever the body is, thither will the eagles be gathered together.
Cross-references
- Matthew 24:28 Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather.
- Job 39:29 From there he spies out food; his eyes see it from afar.
- Zechariah 13:8 And in all the land, declares the LORD, two-thirds will be cut off and perish, but a third will be left in it.
- Revelation 19:17 Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and he cried out in a loud voice to all the birds flying overhead, “Come, gather together for the great supper of God,
- Amos 9:1 I saw the Lord standing beside the altar, and He said: “Strike the tops of the pillars so that the thresholds shake. Topple them on the heads of all the people, and I will kill the rest with the sword. None of those who flee will get away; none of the fugitives will escape.
- Zechariah 14:2 For I will gather all the nations for battle against Jerusalem, and the city will be captured, the houses looted, and the women ravished. Half of the city will go into exile, but the rest of the people will not be removed from the city.
- Daniel 9:26 Then after the sixty-two weeks the Messiah will be cut off and will have nothing. Then the people of the prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end will come like a flood, and until the end there will be war; desolations have been decreed.
- 1 Thessalonians 2:16 hindering us from telling the Gentiles how they may be saved. As a result, they continue to heap up their sins to full capacity; the utmost wrath has come upon them.