Luke 21:25
New International Version
“There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars. On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea.

New Living Translation
“And there will be strange signs in the sun, moon, and stars. And here on earth the nations will be in turmoil, perplexed by the roaring seas and strange tides.

English Standard Version
“And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves,

Berean Standard Bible
There will be signs in the sun and moon and stars, and on the earth dismay among the nations, bewildered by the roaring of the sea and the surging of the waves.

Berean Literal Bible
And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars; and upon the earth distress of nations with perplexity, sea roaring and surge rolling,

King James Bible
And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring;

New King James Version
“And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring;

New American Standard Bible
“There will be signs in the sun and moon and stars, and on the earth distress among nations, in perplexity at the roaring of the sea and the waves,

NASB 1995
“There will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth dismay among nations, in perplexity at the roaring of the sea and the waves,

NASB 1977
“And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and upon the earth dismay among nations, in perplexity at the roaring of the sea and the waves,

Legacy Standard Bible
“And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth anguish among nations, in perplexity at the roaring of the sea and the waves,

Amplified Bible
“There will be signs (attesting miracles) in the sun and moon and stars; and on the earth [there will be] distress and anguish among nations, in perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea and the waves,

Christian Standard Bible
“Then there will be signs in the sun, moon, and stars; and there will be anguish on the earth among nations bewildered by the roaring of the sea and the waves.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
“Then there will be signs in the sun, moon, and stars; and there will be anguish on the earth among nations bewildered by the roaring sea and waves.

American Standard Version
And there shall be signs in sun and moon and stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, in perplexity for the roaring of the sea and the billows;

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
And there shall be signs in the sun and in the moon and in the stars and in the earth, suffering of nations and clasping of hands, from the alarm of the sound of the sea,

Contemporary English Version
Strange things will happen to the sun, moon, and stars. The nations on earth will be afraid of the roaring sea and tides, and they won't know what to do.

Douay-Rheims Bible
And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, by reason of the confusion of the roaring of the sea and of the waves;

English Revised Version
And there shall be signs in sun and moon and stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, in perplexity for the roaring of the sea and the billows;

GOD'S WORD® Translation
"Miraculous signs will occur in the sun, moon, and stars. The nations of the earth will be deeply troubled and confused because of the roaring and tossing of the sea.

Good News Translation
"There will be strange things happening to the sun, the moon, and the stars. On earth whole countries will be in despair, afraid of the roar of the sea and the raging tides.

International Standard Version
"There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and there will be distress on earth among the nations that are confused by the roaring of the sea and its waves.

Literal Standard Version
And there will be signs in sun, and moon, and stars, and on the earth distress of nations with perplexity, sea and wave roaring;

Majority Standard Bible
There will be signs in the sun and moon and stars, and on the earth dismay among the nations, bewildered by the roaring of the sea and the surging of the waves.

New American Bible
“There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on earth nations will be in dismay, perplexed by the roaring of the sea and the waves.

NET Bible
"And there will be signs in the sun and moon and stars, and on the earth nations will be in distress, anxious over the roaring of the sea and the surging waves.

New Revised Standard Version
“There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on the earth distress among nations confused by the roaring of the sea and the waves.

New Heart English Bible
And there will be signs in the sun, and moon, and stars, and on the earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves;

Webster's Bible Translation
And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring;

Weymouth New Testament
"There will be signs in sun, moon, and stars; and on earth anguish among the nations in their bewilderment at the roaring of the sea and its billows;

World English Bible
“There will be signs in the sun, moon, and stars; and on the earth anxiety of nations, in perplexity for the roaring of the sea and the waves;

Young's Literal Translation
And there shall be signs in sun, and moon, and stars, and on the land is distress of nations with perplexity, sea and billow roaring;

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Return of the Son of Man
24They will fall by the edge of the sword and be led captive into all the nations. And Jerusalem will be trodden down by the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled. 25 There will be signs in the sun and moon and stars, and on the earth dismay among the nations, bewildered by the roaring of the sea and the surging of the waves. 26Men will faint from fear and anxiety over what is coming upon the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.…

Cross References
Isaiah 5:30
In that day they will roar over it, like the roaring of the sea. If one looks over the land, he will see darkness and distress; even the light will be obscured by clouds.

Isaiah 13:10
For the stars of heaven and their constellations will not give their light. The rising sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light.

Isaiah 17:12
Alas, the tumult of many peoples; they rage like the roaring seas and clamoring nations; they rumble like the crashing of mighty waters.

Ezekiel 32:7
When I extinguish you, I will cover the heavens and darken their stars. I will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon will not give its light.

Joel 2:30
I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and columns of smoke.

Joel 2:31
The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and awesome Day of the LORD.

Luke 21:24
They will fall by the edge of the sword and be led captive into all the nations. And Jerusalem will be trodden down by the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.


Treasury of Scripture

And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring;

signs.

Isaiah 13:10,13,14
For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine…

Isaiah 24:23
Then the moon shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed, when the LORD of hosts shall reign in mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, and before his ancients gloriously.

Jeremiah 4:23
I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was without form, and void; and the heavens, and they had no light.

upon.

Daniel 12:1
And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.

with.

Isaiah 22:4,5
Therefore said I, Look away from me; I will weep bitterly, labour not to comfort me, because of the spoiling of the daughter of my people…

Micah 7:4
The best of them is as a brier: the most upright is sharper than a thorn hedge: the day of thy watchmen and thy visitation cometh; now shall be their perplexity.

the sea.

Psalm 46:3
Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah.

Psalm 93:3,4
The floods have lifted up, O LORD, the floods have lifted up their voice; the floods lift up their waves…

Isaiah 5:30
And in that day they shall roar against them like the roaring of the sea: and if one look unto the land, behold darkness and sorrow, and the light is darkened in the heavens thereof.

Jump to Previous
Anguish Anxiety Bewilderment Billows Dismay Distress Doubt Earth Fear Loud Moon Nations Noise Perplexity Roar Roaring Rolling Sea Signs Stars Sun Tossing Waves
Jump to Next
Anguish Anxiety Bewilderment Billows Dismay Distress Doubt Earth Fear Loud Moon Nations Noise Perplexity Roar Roaring Rolling Sea Signs Stars Sun Tossing Waves
Luke 21
1. Jesus commends the poor widow.
5. He foretells the destruction of the temple, and of the city Jerusalem;
25. the signs also which shall be before the last day.
34. He exhorts them to be watchful.














(25-33) And there shall be signs in the sun.--See Notes on Matthew 24:29-35, Mark 13:24-31, where the "signs" are defined as the "sun being darkened, and the moon not giving her light."

Distress of nations.--The Greek for the first noun means literally, constraint, the sense of being hemmed in, as when we say "in great straits." It is used by St. Paul in 2Corinthians 2:4, and not elsewhere in the New Testament. The word for "perplexity" is used by St. Luke only.

The sea and the waves roaring.--The better MSS. give a different punctuation and reading, with perplexity from the roar of the sea, and of the surge, or wave. In the common reading we have another instance of agreement with St. Paul, in 1Corinthians 13:1, where the word is rendered "tinkling"--better, echoing, or resounding. Assuming, as has been suggested above, that St. Luke's report is of the nature of a paraphrase, we may, perhaps, connect this feature in it with his own experience. To one who had known the perils of waters narrated in Acts 27, no picture of the more dread phenomena of nature could be complete without "the sea and the waves roaring."

Verses 25-27. - The prophecy of the coming of the Son of man in glory. The signs which shall precede this advent. And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. The Lord continues his solemn prophecy respecting things to come. Now, the question of the four disciples - to Which this great discourse was the answer - was, When were they to look for that awful ruin of city and temple of which their loved Master spoke? But they, it must be remembered, in their own minds closely connected the temple's fall with some glorious epiphany of their Master, in which they should share. He answers generally their formal question as to the temple, describing to them the very signs they are to look for as heralding the temple's fall. He now proceeds to reply to their real query respecting the glorious epiphany. The temple's ruin, that belonged to the period in which they were living; but the glorious epiphany, that lay in a far distance. "See," he said, "city and temple will be destroyed; this catastrophe some of you will live to see. The ruin will be irreparable; a new epoch will set in, an epoch I call 'the times of the Gentiles.' These once despised peoples will have their turn, for I shall be their Light. Ages will pass before these 'times of the Gentiles' shall be fulfilled, but the end will come, and then, and not till then, will the Son of man come in glory. Listen; these shall be the signs which shall herald this glorious advent: Signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars." St. Matthew (Matthew 24:29) supplies more details concerning these "signs." The sun would be darkened, and the moon would not give her light; the stars would fall from heaven. These words are evidently a memory of language used by the Hebrew prophets to express figuratively the downfall of kingdoms. So Isaiah (Isaiah 13:10)speaks thus of the destruction of Babylon, and Ezekiel (Ezekiel 32:7) of the fall of Egypt (see too Isaiah 34:4). It is, however, probable that our Lord, while using language and figures familiar to Hebrew thought, foreshadowed a literal fulfillment of his words. So Godet, who picturesquely likens our globe just before the second advent to "a ship creaking in every timber at the moment of its going to pieces." He suggests that "our whole solar system shall then undergo unusual commotions. The moving forces (δυνάμεις), regular in their action tilt then, shall be, as it were, set free from their laws by an unknown power, and, at the end of this violent but short distress, the world shall see him appear" (see 2 Peter 3:10-12, where it is plainly foretold that tremendous physical disturbances shall precede the second coming of the Lord). The Son of man coming in a cloud. The same luminous cloud we read of so often in the Pentateuch: the flames of the desert-wanderings; the pillar of cloud and fire; the same bright cloud enveloped the Lord on the Mount of Transfiguration; it received him as he was taken up (Acts 1:9). Nothing is said in this place as to any millennial reign of Christ on earth. The description is that of a transitory appearance destined to effect the work upon quick and dead - an appear-ante defined more particularly by St. Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:23 and 1 Thessalonians 4:16, 17.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Greek
There will be
ἔσονται (esontai)
Verb - Future Indicative Middle - 3rd Person Plural
Strong's 1510: I am, exist. The first person singular present indicative; a prolonged form of a primary and defective verb; I exist.

signs
σημεῖα (sēmeia)
Noun - Nominative Neuter Plural
Strong's 4592: Neuter of a presumed derivative of the base of semaino; an indication, especially ceremonially or supernaturally.

in
ἐν (en)
Preposition
Strong's 1722: In, on, among. A primary preposition denoting position, and instrumentality, i.e. A relation of rest; 'in, ' at, on, by, etc.

[the] sun
ἡλίῳ (hēliō)
Noun - Dative Masculine Singular
Strong's 2246: The sun, sunlight. From hele; the sun; by implication, light.

and
καὶ (kai)
Conjunction
Strong's 2532: And, even, also, namely.

moon
σελήνῃ (selēnē)
Noun - Dative Feminine Singular
Strong's 4582: The moon. From selas; the moon.

and
καὶ (kai)
Conjunction
Strong's 2532: And, even, also, namely.

stars,
ἄστροις (astrois)
Noun - Dative Neuter Plural
Strong's 798: A star. Neuter from aster; properly, a constellation; put for a single star.

and
καὶ (kai)
Conjunction
Strong's 2532: And, even, also, namely.

on
ἐπὶ (epi)
Preposition
Strong's 1909: On, to, against, on the basis of, at.

the
τῆς (tēs)
Article - Genitive Feminine Singular
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

earth
γῆς (gēs)
Noun - Genitive Feminine Singular
Strong's 1093: Contracted from a primary word; soil; by extension a region, or the solid part or the whole of the terrene globe.

dismay
συνοχὴ (synochē)
Noun - Nominative Feminine Singular
Strong's 4928: Distress, anguish, anxiety. From sunecho; restraint, i.e. anxiety.

among the nations,
ἐθνῶν (ethnōn)
Noun - Genitive Neuter Plural
Strong's 1484: Probably from etho; a race, i.e. A tribe; specially, a foreign one.

bewildered
ἀπορίᾳ (aporia)
Noun - Dative Feminine Singular
Strong's 640: Perplexity, anxiety, doubt. From the same as aporeo; a quandary.

by
ἐν (en)
Preposition
Strong's 1722: In, on, among. A primary preposition denoting position, and instrumentality, i.e. A relation of rest; 'in, ' at, on, by, etc.

[the] roaring
ἤχους (ēchous)
Noun - Genitive Neuter Singular
Strong's 2279: (a) a sound, noise, (b) a rumor, report. Of uncertain affinity; a loud or confused noise, i.e. Roar; figuratively, a rumor.

of [the] sea
θαλάσσης (thalassēs)
Noun - Genitive Feminine Singular
Strong's 2281: Probably prolonged from hals; the sea.

and
καὶ (kai)
Conjunction
Strong's 2532: And, even, also, namely.

[the] surging of the waves.
σάλου (salou)
Noun - Genitive Masculine Singular
Strong's 4535: The tossing of the sea in a tempest; agitation, rolling. Probably from the base of saino; a vibration, i.e., billow.


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NT Gospels: Luke 21:25 There will be signs in the sun (Luke Lu Lk)
Luke 21:24
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