OET interlinear MAT 24:22

uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: grammar-connect-condition-contrary

εἰ μὴ ἐκολοβώθησαν αἱ ἡμέραι ἐκεῖναι, οὐκ ἂν ἐσώθη πᾶσα σάρξ

except ¬not/lest /were/_shortened ¬the days those not would /was/_saved any flesh

Jesus is making a conditional statement that sounds hypothetical, but he is already convinced that the condition is not true. He knows that those days really have been shortened. Use a natural form in your language for introducing a condition that the speaker believes is not true. Alternate translation: “were those days not to have been shortened, no flesh would have been saved” or “image that those days had not been shortened. Then, no flesh would have been saved”

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / pastforfuture

μὴ ἐκολοβώθησαν αἱ ἡμέραι ἐκεῖναι, οὐκ ἂν ἐσώθη πᾶσα σάρξ

¬not/lest /were/_shortened ¬the days those not would /was/_saved any flesh

Jesus is using the past tense in order to refer to something that will happen in the future. He is doing this because he knows that God has already decided to shorten those days. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use the future tense, or you could refer to God’s decision. Alternate translation: “those days were not going to be shortened, no flesh would be saved” or “the decision had not already been made to shorten those days, no flesh would have been saved”

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / activepassive

μὴ ἐκολοβώθησαν αἱ ἡμέραι ἐκεῖναι & κολοβωθήσονται αἱ ἡμέραι ἐκεῖναι

¬not/lest /were/_shortened ¬the days those & /will_be_being/_shortened ¬the days those

If your language does not use the passive form in this way, you could express the idea in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. If you must state who will do the action, Jesus implies that God will do it. Alternate translation: “God had not shortened those days … God will shorten those days”

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / idiom

(Occurrence -1) αἱ ἡμέραι ἐκεῖναι

(Some words not found in SR-GNT: καὶ εἰ μὴ ἐκολοβώθησαν αἱ ἡμέραι ἐκεῖναι οὐκ ἂν ἐσώθη πᾶσα σάρξ διὰ δὲ τοὺς ἐκλεκτοὺς κολοβωθήσονται αἱ ἡμέραι ἐκεῖναι)

Here, the phrase those days refers to the time period that Jesus has been describing. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use an equivalent phrase or state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “that time period … that time period”

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / activepassive

οὐκ ἂν ἐσώθη πᾶσα σάρξ

not would /was/_saved any flesh

If your language does not use this passive form, you could express the idea in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. Alternate translation: “no flesh would remain” or “no flesh would continue to live”

Note 6 topic: figures-of-speech / synecdoche

σάρξ

flesh

Jesus is using flesh to represent humans. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use an equivalent expression from your culture or state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “humans”

Note 7 topic: grammar-connect-logic-contrast

δὲ

but

Here, the word But introduces what will actually happen in contrast to what might have happened if God had not shortened the days. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use a word or phrase that introduces that kind of contrast. Alternate translation: “In reality, though,”

Note 8 topic: figures-of-speech / nominaladj

τοὺς ἐκλεκτοὺς

the chosen

Jesus is using the adjective elect as a noun to mean elect people. Your language may use adjectives in the same way. If not, you could translate this word with an equivalent phrase. Alternate translation: “the elect people” or “the people whom God has elected”