Bible Strands
Mark 13:33
Be on your guard and stay alert! For you do not know when the appointed time will come.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Jesus addresses his disciples on the Mount of Olives immediately after declaring that only the Father knows the day and hour of his return. He speaks this warning as the final instruction before concluding his Olivet Discourse.
The words — The Greek imperatives βλέπετε (blepete) and ἀγρυπνεῖτε (agrupneite) literally command the listeners to "do take heed" and "do watch." These verbs establish the required posture of continuous vigilance before the unknown timing of the appointed time.
The thread — The warning to remain watchful for an unexpected timing runs through Luke 12:40 and Romans 13:11. The explicit link between alertness and prayer appears in Ephesians 6:18.
Why it lands — The text commands sustained readiness because the exact moment of the appointed time is unknowable to human beings. It requires practical vigilance and prayer rather than chronological speculation.
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
Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is.
Cross-references
- Luke 12:40 You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour you do not expect.”
- Romans 13:11 And do this, understanding the occasion. The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, for our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.
- Ephesians 6:18 Pray in the Spirit at all times, with every kind of prayer and petition. To this end, stay alert with all perseverance in your prayers for all the saints.
- Revelation 16:15 “Behold, I am coming like a thief. Blessed is the one who remains awake and clothed, so that he will not go naked and let his shame be exposed.”
- Matthew 25:13 Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.
- 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.
- 1 Peter 4:7 The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear-minded and sober, so that you can pray.
- 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.
- Revelation 3:2 Wake up and strengthen what remains, which is about to die; for I have found your deeds incomplete in the sight of My God.