Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary Matthew 24:16

"then let them that are in Judaea flee unto the mountains:" — Matthew 24:16 (ASV)

The instructions Jesus gives to his disciples about what to do in view of v.15 are so specific that they must be related to the Jewish War. The devastation would stretch far beyond the city; people all throughout the-land of Judea should flee to the mountains and hide in caves. Most roofs were flat—pleasant places in the cool of the day. Verse 17 implies such haste that fugitives would not take time to run downstairs to take anything with them but would run from roof to roof to evacuate the city as quickly as possible. People in the fields would not have time to go home for their cloaks. It would be especially dreadful for pregnant women and nursing mothers.