Matthew 24:17 - Coke's Commentary on the Holy Bible

Let him which is on the house-top— The houses of the Jews, and of the present inhabitants of the East, as well as those of the ancient Greeks and Romans, were flat on the top for them to walk on, and had usually two pair of stairs, one on the inside, and the other on the out, by the latter of which they could ascend and descend, without coming into the house. In the Eastern walled cities these flat-roofed houses usuallyformed continued terraces from one end of the cityto the other, which terraces terminated at the gates. He, therefore, who is walking and regaling himself upon the house-top, let him not come down to take any thing out of his house; but let him instantly pursue his course along the tops of the houses, and escape out at the city-gate as fast as he possibly can. See Bishop Newton.