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OET (OET-LV) And whenever you_all_may_hear wars and disturbances, you_all_may_ not _be_terrified, because/for it_is_fitting these things to_become first, but the end not is immediately.
OET (OET-RV) and whenever you all hear about wars and disturbances, don’t be terrified, because all these things do need to happen first, but they don’t mean that the end will be right then.”
After the events of the preceding section, some of Jesus’ disciples were admiring the beautiful stones and gifts that people used to adorn the Temple. Jesus told them that one day the Temple would be completely destroyed. Enemies would attack Jerusalem and destroy the Temple.In A.D. 70, the Jews rebelled against the Romans, and the Roman destroyed the temple. Jesus also told them about other things that would happen in the future. He told them that after these things happened, he would return to earth in power and great glory. He warned his disciples to pray so that they would be able to endure the future troubles and be ready to meet him when he comes again.
It is good to translate this section before you decide on a heading for it. Some examples of other headings are:
The Jerusalem temple would soon be destroyed
The destruction of the temple and the coming times of trouble
There are parallel passages for this section in Matthew 24:1–35 and Mark 13:1–31.
When you hear of wars and rebellions,
When you(plur) hear about wars/battles and rebellions,
You(plur) will hear that countries/tribes are at war and that people are rebelling against their governments.
Whenever you(plur) hear reports that nations and peoples are fighting each other,
When you hear of wars and rebellions: The clause When you hear of wars and rebellions implies that people will tell Jesus’ disciples about wars and rebellions that are happening. The disciples will hear reports that nations and people groups are fighting each other. They will also hear that groups of people are rebelling against their governments. Some other ways to translate this are:
When you(plur) hear reports about wars and revolutions
At times you will/may hear news that nations are fighting and that people are rebelling against their governments
When you hear about wars and riots (NCV)
This verse implies that the wars and revolutions are really happening. So you should not use a word that refers only to false reports.
wars and rebellions: The Greek words that the BSB translates as wars and rebellions can refer to different types of conflicts and fighting. The word wars often refers to armed conflict in which different countries fight each other. The word rebellions often refers to civil wars that involve revolting against governments and other authorities. See the note above for translation examples.
do not be alarmed.
do(plur) not be terrified/alarmed.
Do(plur) not panic,
you(plur) should not be overcome by fear,
do not be alarmed: The Greek word that the BSB translates as be alarmed means “to be terrified or alarmed.” It refers to a feeling of fear or terror. A person is often frightened or terrified by wars and riots. Jesus did not want his disciples to be overwhelmed with fear. Here is another way to translate this:
do not panic (REB)
You may have an idiom in your language that expresses this kind of fear. For example:
Do not give way to terror/fear
Do not let fear fill your heart/liver
In some languages it may be more natural to reverse the order of 21:9a and 21:9b. For example:
9bDo not be afraid 9awhen you(plur) hear of various wars and rebellions.
9bDo not be terrified 9aat rumors/reports of wars and insurrections.
These things must happen first,
For it is necessary for these things to occur before the end,
because God has determined that these wars will happen first, before
In Greek 21:9c tells a reason why the disciples should not be afraid that the end of the age has come. Here is another way to translate this:
for this is something that must happen first (NJB)
Translate the reason in a way that is natural in your language.
These things must happen: The Greek phrase that the BSB translates as These things must happen is literally “It is necessary for these things to occur.” It implies that it is necessary because God has determined that these wars and rebellions will happen before the age/world ends.
These things: The phrase These things refers to the “wars and revolutions” mentioned in 21:9a. Other ways to translate it are:
These wars
Such fighting/battles
first: The word first emphasizes the phrase “the end” in 21:9d. It implies that the wars must happen before the end of the age. In some languages it is more natural to leave the meaning first implied or to translate it in a different way. See the General Comment on 21:9c–d below for translation examples.
but the end is not imminent.”
but the end will not follow immediately after these things.”
the age ends. But these wars do not indicate that it will end immediately.”
but: The Greek conjunction that the BSB translates as but introduces a statement that contrasts with what people expect. People may expect that wars and revolutions will show that the end of the world/age has come, but that it not true. Translate the contrast in a natural way in your language.
the end is not imminent: The Greek clause that the BSB translates as the end is not imminent is more literally “not immediately is the end.” Some ways to translate this are:
this does not show/mean that the world/age will end at that time
it is not the end of the world/age yet
the end: The phrase the end can refer here either to the destruction of the temple or to the end of the world/age. This phrase implies that the people were expecting this end to come. In some languages it may be helpful to indicate that. For example:
the end that you are expecting
The phrase the end occurs in a prophecy. It is common for prophetic phrases to apply to more than one event. Some scholars believe that the end of the temple will show in a small way what the end of the world will be like. In a sense, the end of the temple was the end of an age.Geldenhuys (p. 537) says, “Jesus foretold the dreadful fate awaiting the people of Jerusalem in the destruction of their city and temple. It will be so terrible (and actually was so) that the Saviour held it up as a clear foreshadowing of the Last Days and the Final Judgment, as appears from Mark 13….” Bock (p. 1680) indicates that “Jerusalem’s fall in the short term is analogous for the end, as its fate pictures the consequence of unfaithfulness for the world.” Giblin (p. 92) says, “Jerusalem’s fate is a concrete forecast or type of the day of reckoning for nations….it is not only meaningful in itself, but also sheds light on a further, climactic event….”
If you must specify what will end, use a term that can refer either to the end of the world/age or of the temple. However, if you must be specific, you may refer to the end of the world or age. For example:
the age will end
the end of the world
In some languages the word “first” in 21:9c may be confusing. Some other ways to translate the meaning in 21:9c–d are:
These things must happen, but the end of the world is not yet.Kankanaey back translation on TW.
It is necessary for such things to occur before the world/age ends, but the end will not follow immediately.
Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / doublet
πολέμους καὶ ἀκαταστασίας
wars (Some words not found in SR-GNT: ὅταν Δέ ἀκούσητε πολέμους καί ἀκαταστασίας μή πτοηθῆτε δεῖ γάρ ταῦτα γενέσθαι πρῶτον ἀλλʼ οὐκ εὐθέως τό τέλος)
The term wars probably refers to countries fighting against each other, and the term rebellions probably refers to people fighting against their own leaders or against other people in their own countries. Jesus may be using the two terms together to refer generally to violent fighting. If it would be helpful in your language, you could combine these terms. Alternate translation: [of armed conflicts]
Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / activepassive
μὴ πτοηθῆτε
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: ὅταν Δέ ἀκούσητε πολέμους καί ἀκαταστασίας μή πτοηθῆτε δεῖ γάρ ταῦτα γενέσθαι πρῶτον ἀλλʼ οὐκ εὐθέως τό τέλος)
If it would be helpful in your language, you could express this with an active form. Alternate translation: [do not let these things terrify you]
Note 3 topic: grammar-connect-logic-result
δεῖ γὰρ ταῦτα γενέσθαι πρῶτον
˱it˲_˓is˒_fitting (Some words not found in SR-GNT: ὅταν Δέ ἀκούσητε πολέμους καί ἀκαταστασίας μή πτοηθῆτε δεῖ γάρ ταῦτα γενέσθαι πρῶτον ἀλλʼ οὐκ εὐθέως τό τέλος)
If it would be helpful in your language, you could put this phrase before do not be terrified, as UST does, since this phrase gives the reason why followers of Jesus should not be terrified.
Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / ellipsis
ἀλλ’ οὐκ εὐθέως τὸ τέλος
but not immediately_‹is› (Some words not found in SR-GNT: ὅταν Δέ ἀκούσητε πολέμους καί ἀκαταστασίας μή πτοηθῆτε δεῖ γάρ ταῦτα γενέσθαι πρῶτον ἀλλʼ οὐκ εὐθέως τό τέλος)
Jesus is leaving out some of the words that in many languages a sentence would need in order to be complete. If it would be helpful in your language, you could supply these words from earlier in the sentence. Alternate translation: [but the end will not happen immediately]
Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit
τὸ τέλος
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: ὅταν Δέ ἀκούσητε πολέμους καί ἀκαταστασίας μή πτοηθῆτε δεῖ γάρ ταῦτα γενέσθαι πρῶτον ἀλλʼ οὐκ εὐθέως τό τέλος)
This implicitly means the end of the world. Alternate translation: [the end of the world]
OET (OET-LV) And whenever you_all_may_hear wars and disturbances, you_all_may_ not _be_terrified, because/for it_is_fitting these things to_become first, but the end not is immediately.
OET (OET-RV) and whenever you all hear about wars and disturbances, don’t be terrified, because all these things do need to happen first, but they don’t mean that the end will be right then.”
Note: The OET-RV is still only a first draft, and so far only a few words have been (mostly automatically) matched to the Hebrew or Greek words that they’re translated from.
Acknowledgements: The SR Greek text, lemmas, morphology, and VLT gloss are all thanks to the CNTR.