Bible Strands
Luke 21:34
But watch yourselves, or your hearts will be weighed down by dissipation, drunkenness, and the worries of life—and that day will spring upon you suddenly like a snare.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Jesus addresses His disciples during the Olivet discourse, following His declaration that His words will outlast heaven and earth. He warns them to maintain spiritual alertness as He describes the sudden arrival of the coming day.
The words — The imperative προσέχετε (Prosechete) commands "do take heed" or "watch yourselves," while βαρηθῶσιν (barēthōsin) literally means "may be burdened" or "weighed down." These terms directly describe the state of hearts that become too heavy to remain vigilant.
The thread — The warning against life’s worries choking spiritual readiness parallels Mark 4:19, while the call to sudden readiness aligns with Luke 12:40 and Luke 12:45. The text explicitly ties personal vigilance to the universal scope of judgment in Luke 21:35.
Why it lands — The text states that indulgence, drunkenness, and worldly anxieties will burden the heart and catch the unwatchful like a snare. It requires readers to actively guard against spiritual heaviness so they are not surprised when the day arrives.
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 take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares.
Cross-references
- Mark 4:19 but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth, and the desire for other things come in and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.
- Luke 12:40 You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour you do not expect.”
- Luke 12:45 But suppose that servant says in his heart, ‘My master will be a long time in coming,’ and he begins to beat the menservants and maidservants, and to eat and drink and get drunk.
- 1 Thessalonians 5:2 For you are fully aware that the Day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.
- 1 Peter 4:3 For you have spent enough time in the past carrying out the same desires as the Gentiles: living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing, and detestable idolatry.
- 1 Corinthians 6:10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor verbal abusers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God.
- Revelation 3:3 Remember, then, what you have received and heard. Keep it and repent. If you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know the hour when I will come upon you.
- 2 Peter 3:14 Therefore, beloved, as you anticipate these things, make every effort to be found at peace—spotless and blameless in His sight.
- Hosea 4:11 to promiscuity, wine, and new wine, which take away understanding.
- Mark 13:35 Therefore keep watch, because you do not know when the master of the house will return—whether in the evening, at midnight, when the rooster crows, or in the morning.