Why were people in Bible times up on their housetops instead of in the house?
In the Middle East economy, many better homes had their patio on the housetop rather than outside a back door. People, especially the retired who had time to spend, would sit up there. So rooftops functioned as living or leisure space, not merely roofs, which explains why people could be found there.
Les explains that the Middle East had a segmented society, and in that economy most better homes had their patio on the housetop rather than outside the back door. He pictures these rooftop people as retired, with time to spend up on the housetop patio. In the same passage, Jesus tells such people not to come down to take anything out of their house, meaning they needed to be ready to go. Other groups mentioned are workers in the field and mothers with children.
Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house:
More Questions
Who are the people on the housetops in verse 17?
The people on the housetops are probably Jewish people living in the Jerusalem/Tel Aviv area, likely retired and living comfortably, with leisure time on their housetops.