Bible Strands
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.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Jesus addresses his disciples immediately after describing a homeowner who departs and instructs his doorkeeper to stay alert. He delivers this during a discourse on future events to ground his preceding parable in practical expectation.
The words — The imperative γρηγορεῖτε (grēgoreite) commands "keep watch," while οὐκ οἴδατε (ouk oīdate) states "you do not know." These terms anchor the verse's call to active alertness grounded in human ignorance of timing.
The thread — The warning recurs in Matthew 24:42, Mark 13:33, and Matthew 24:44. Each parallel restates the necessity of vigilance because the appointed time remains unknown.
Why it lands — The text demands constant readiness by listing four specific periods the master might return: evening, midnight, rooster crow, or morning. It requires the reader to maintain unbroken alertness precisely because the hour of arrival cannot be predicted.
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: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning:
Cross-references
- Matthew 24:42 Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day on which your Lord will come.
- Mark 13:33 Be on your guard and stay alert! For you do not know when the appointed time will come.
- Matthew 24:44 For this reason, you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour you do not expect.
- Mark 14:30 “Truly I tell you,” Jesus replied, “this very night, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny Me three times.”
- Mark 6:48 He could see that the disciples were straining to row, because the wind was against them. About the fourth watch of the night, Jesus went out to them, walking on the sea. He intended to pass by them,