Sunday, June 17, 2007

Mat 24:34 Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.

Alternative: Truly I tell you that this generation may disregard this possibility until all these things happened.

In reading this chapter as a whole, the verses like this make me disregard interpretations or translations of this chapter that make it primarily be a prediction of the apocalypse.

As a prediction, Christ here addresses the fall of the temple during his own generation, but he also addresses the same times of pressure that come during all our lives. We all live through difficult times. We all disregard the signs of what is going on until it is too late.

"Pass" is from parerchomai, which means "go by," "pass by," "outstrip" (in speed), "pass away," "outwit," "past events" (in time), "disregard," and "pass without heading."

In my alternative translation "this posibility" is from an article (an) that is ignored in the original. It indicates something that can happen.

"Fulfilled" is from gignomai (ginomai), which means "to become," "to come into being," "to be produced," and "to be."