The saying of Jesus contained in this verse most probably reflects a proverbial saying familiar to the people of his day. Its purpose is to refute the arguments of persons who claimed that the Son of Man (or Messiah) had already arrived, and that he could be found in such and such a place.

The Greek word used here for eagle may also mean “vulture” or “buzzard” (RSV footnote), which is also true for the word used for eagle in the Hebrew Old Testament. But the meaning of “vulture” is better suited to the context.

The argument of the parable and its application is as follows: Just as surely as vultures flock about a corpse, so the coming of the Son of Man will be recognized by everyone. Therefore to ask when or where he will make his appearance is a senseless and useless question. When it happens, there will be no doubt.

Good News Translation has rendered body as “dead body,” and Barclay has “carrion.” Another way to render the sentence is “The dead body can be found because that is where the vultures are gathered” or “The location of the dead body is known because of the vultures there.”

Quoted with permission from Newman, Barclay M. and Stine, Philip C. A Handbook on the Gospel of Matthew. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1988. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .