αυτοι 846 P-NPM γαρ 1063 CONJ ακριβως 199 ADV οιδατε 1492 5758 V-RAI-2P οτι 3754 CONJ η 3588 T-NSF ημερα 2250 N-NSF κυριου 2962 N-GSM ως 5613 ADV κλεπτης 2812 N-NSM εν 1722 PREP νυκτι 3571 N-DSF ουτως 3779 ADV ερχεται 2064 5736 V-PNI-3S
Vincent's NT Word Studies
2. Perfectly (akribwv). See on Luke i. 3.The day of the Lord (hmera kuriou). The day of Christ's second coming. In Paul's Epistles this is expressed by hJ hJmera the day, absolutely, 1 Thess. v. 4; 1 Cor. iii. 13; Rom. xiii. 12: hJ hJmera ejkeinh that day, 2 Thess. i. 10: hJmera cristou the day of Christ, Philip. i. 10; ii. 16: hJmera kuriou or tou kuriou day of the Lord, 1 Cor. v. 5; 1 Thess. v. 2; 2 Thess. ii. 2: hJmera tou kuriou hJmwn Ihsou (Cristou), 1 Cor. i. 8; 2 Corinthians i. 14. These expressions refer to a definite time when the Lord is expected to appear, and Paul expects this appearance soon. Attempts to evade this by referring such expressions to the day of death, or to the advance toward perfection after death until the final judgment, are forced, and are shaped by dogmatic conceptions of the nature of Biblical inspiration. 30 In the O.T. the phrase day of the Lord denotes a time in which God will conspicously manifest his power and goodness or his penal justice. See Isa. ii. 12; Ezek. xiii. 5; Joel i. 15; ii. 11; and comp. Rom. ii. 5. The whole class of phrases is rare in N.T. outside of Paul's Epistles. As a thief (wv klepthv). Comp. Matt. xxiv. 43; Luke xii. 39; 2 Peter iii. 10; Apoc. xvi. 15, and see on Apoc. iii. 3.
In the night (en nukiti). The ancient church held that the advent was to be expected at night, on an Easter eve. This gave rise to the custom of vigils. Jerome, on Matt. xxv. 6, says: "It is a tradition of the Jews that Messiah will come at midnight, after the likeness of that season in Egypt when the Passover was celebrated, and the Destroyer came, and the Lord passed over the dwellings. I think that this idea was perpetuated in the apostolic custom, that, on the day of vigils, at the Pascha, it was not alloxved to dismiss the people before midnight, since they expected the advent of Christ."
It is noteworthy how many of the gospel lessons on watchfulness are associated with the night and a visit by night. See Matt. xxiv. 43; xxv. 1-13; Mark xiii. 35; Luke xii. 35, 38; xvii. 34; xii. 90.
Robertson's NT Word Studies
5:2 {Know perfectly} (akribws oidate). Accurately know, not "the times and the seasons," but their own ignorance. {As a thief in the night} (hws kleptes en nukti). As a thief at night, suddenly and unexpectedly. Reminiscence of the word of Jesus (#Mt 24:43; Lu 12:39), used also in #2Pe 3:10; Re 3:3; 16:15. {Cometh} (ercetai). Prophetic or futuristic present tense.
