Skip to content

What Did Jesus Mean by "As the Days of Noah"?

Question

What did Jesus mean by "as the days of Noah" in Matthew 24:37? Was He referring to angels mixing with humans (Genesis 6 "sons of God"), or something else entirely?

Summary Answer

Jesus was NOT referring to angels mixing with humans. He was warning that life will seem ordinary before His return, people will be spiritually unaware, and judgment will come suddenly and unexpectedly.

Jesus Himself defined what He meant by "days of Noah": eating, drinking, marrying, giving in marriage, and knowing not until the flood came. He made no mention of sons of God, daughters of men, Nephilim, angels, or any supernatural element.

Key Verses

Jesus's Explanation (Matthew 24:37-39)

"But as the days of Noe [were], so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be."

The Lot Parallel (Luke 17:26-30)

"And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage... Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom... destroyed [them] all. Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed."

Analysis

What Jesus Emphasized

Jesus's Description Category
Eating Ordinary activity
Drinking Ordinary activity
Marrying Ordinary activity
Giving in marriage Ordinary activity
"Knew not" Spiritual unawareness
Flood came suddenly Unexpected judgment
Took them all away Complete destruction

What Jesus Did NOT Mention

Genesis 6 Element In Jesus's Teaching?
"Sons of God" NO
"Daughters of men" NO
Nephilim/Giants NO
Angels NO
Supernatural mixing NO
Unusual wickedness NO
Corruption of flesh NO

The Decisive Evidence: Lot Parallel

Jesus explicitly paralleled Noah's days with Lot's days: - "Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot" - "Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed"

Lot's days had: - Eating, drinking, buying, selling, planting, building - Sudden destruction - A righteous person preserved

Lot's days did NOT have: - Sons of God - Nephilim - Angel-human mixing

If Jesus intended to reference the supernatural element, the Lot parallel would contradict His point. The common elements between Noah and Lot are: 1. Ordinary life activities 2. Spiritual unawareness 3. Sudden, complete judgment 4. A righteous person preserved

Jesus's Application

"Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come." (Matthew 24:42)

"Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh." (Matthew 24:44)

The application makes sense ONLY if Jesus's point was about unawareness and ordinary life continuing until sudden judgment. If His point was about supernatural activity, "watch" and "be ready" would be strange responses.

From genesis-6-sons-of-god Study

That study found the Sethite view (sons of God = godly line of Seth) better supported than the angel view. Key finding: Genesis 6:3 calls the sons of God "flesh" - human terminology.

Relevance to this study: Regardless of how one interprets Genesis 6, Jesus's teaching does not depend on any particular interpretation. He simply did not reference that element.

From hebrew-greek-sons-of-god-comparison Study

That study established that "sons of God" language applies to humans in both testaments.

Relevance to this study: Even accepting that Genesis 6 refers to humans (Sethite view), Jesus still did not reference this. His point was about ORDINARY marrying, not any specific type of problematic marriage.

Conclusion

What "Days of Noah" Means in Jesus's Teaching

Element Meaning
"Days of Noah" A time of ordinary life before sudden judgment
"Eating and drinking" Life continues as usual
"Marrying and giving in marriage" Social arrangements proceed normally
"Knew not" Spiritual unawareness/unconcern
"Until the flood came" Judgment arrives unexpectedly
"Took them all away" Complete destruction of the unprepared

What "Days of Noah" Does NOT Mean

Jesus was NOT teaching about: - Angel-human hybridization - Nephilim or giants - Genetic corruption - Supernatural wickedness - Any element unique to Noah's time (since Lot's days are parallel)

The Bottom Line

Jesus chose what elements of Noah's days to emphasize. He selected: - Ordinary activities (eating, drinking, marrying) - Spiritual unawareness ("knew not") - Sudden judgment

He omitted: - Everything related to Genesis 6:1-4's "sons of God"

This was a deliberate interpretive choice by Jesus. His point was universal and timeless: before judgment comes, people will be living ordinary lives, spiritually unaware, just as in Noah's day and Lot's day. Therefore, watch and be ready.

Study completed: 2025-12-30 Files: 01-topics.md, 02-verses.md, 03-analysis.md, 04-word-studies.md

Companion Sites

These companion sites use the same tool-driven research methodology:

Site Description
The Law of God A 33-study investigation examining every major text, word, and argument about the moral law, ceremonial law, the Sabbath, and what continues under the New Covenant. 810 evidence items classified.
The Final Fate of the Wicked A 21-study investigation examining every major text, word, and argument bearing on the final fate of the wicked. 632 evidence items classified.
Bible Studies Collection 85 standalone Bible studies on various topics -- death, prophecy, angels, word studies, and more. Each study is produced by the same tool-driven research methodology.