Luke 21:36

So keep watch at all times, and pray that you may have the strength to escape all that is about to happen and to stand before the Son of Man.”

Berean Standard Bible

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Study note

Setting — Jesus speaks to his disciples in the temple, closing his discourse on the coming destruction of Jerusalem and the return of the Son of Man. The immediately preceding verse (21:35) states the event will fall on all who dwell on the face of the earth.

The words — ἀγρυπνεῖτε (agrupneite) is the imperative of "stay awake through the night," a sentinel's watch, not passive waiting. καιρῷ (kairō) means "appointed season," not undifferentiated duration, sharpening "all times" into every decisive moment.

The thread — Matthew 25:13 issues the same command with the same rationale (you do not know the day or the hour); 1 Peter 5:8 pairs sobriety with alertness against a specific adversary; 1 John 2:28 points to the same end—standing before Christ unashamed.

Why it lands — The verse demands a continuous posture, not a single act of preparation. Its purpose clause is concrete: strength to escape what is coming and to stand before the Son of Man.

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

Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.

Cross-references

1 John 2:28 And now, little children, remain in Christ, so that when He appears, we may be confident and unashamed before Him at His coming.
Matthew 25:13 Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.
1 Peter 5:8 Be sober-minded and alert. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.
Matthew 24:42 Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day on which your Lord will come.
1 Peter 4:7 The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear-minded and sober, so that you can pray.
Mark 13:33 Be on your guard and stay alert! For you do not know when the appointed time will come.
1 Corinthians 16:13 Be on the alert. Stand firm in the faith. Be men of courage. Be strong.
Luke 18:1 Then Jesus told them a parable about their need to pray at all times and not lose heart:
Malachi 3:2 But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He will be like a refiner’s fire, like a launderer’s soap.
Matthew 26:41 “Watch and pray so that you will not enter into temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak.”