Matthew 24

Jesus left the temple and was walking away. His disciples came up to him to point out the temple buildings.

1And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him for to shew him the buildings of the temple.

NoteThe temple was the one in Jerusalem, rebuilt on a vast scale by Herod the Great starting around 20 BC and still unfinished in Jesus' lifetime. Its platform and retaining walls were built of dressed limestone blocks, some weighing many tons, and visitors routinely stopped to admire the masonry. "Shew" is simply the older spelling of show, and "for to shew him" means in order to show him.

2Jesus said to them, "Do you see all of this? I tell you the truth: not one stone here will be left on top of another. Every one will be thrown down."

2And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.

Note"Verily" translates the Hebrew word amen, meaning firm or certain. Placed at the front of a sentence, as Jesus does here, it vouches for what is about to be said rather than confirming what was just said.

3Later he sat on the Mount of Olives. The disciples came to him in private and said, "Tell us, when will these things happen? And what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?"

3And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?

NoteThe Mount of Olives is the ridge just east of Jerusalem, across the Kidron valley, with a direct view down onto the temple platform. The word behind "thy coming" is parousia, which meant arrival or presence, and was the standard term for the state visit of a king or emperor to a city. Where the King James says "the end of the world", the Greek word is aion, meaning age or era, so the question is about the end of the present age rather than the destruction of the planet.

4Jesus answered them, "Be careful that no one fools you.

4And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.

5Many will come using my name and say, 'I am the Christ,' and they will fool many people.

5For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.

Note"Christ" is not a name but the Greek word christos, meaning anointed, the translation of the Hebrew title messiah. To say "I am Christ" is to claim to be the anointed king Israel was waiting for. To come "in my name" means to come claiming Jesus' authority or using his title.

6You will hear about wars and reports of wars, but do not let it upset you. These things have to happen, but the end is not here yet.

6And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.

7Nation will rise up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines, deadly diseases, and earthquakes in many different places.

7For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.

NoteIn 1611 "divers" meant various or several and has nothing to do with diving. "Pestilences" are deadly epidemics.

8All of these things are only the beginning of the birth pains.

8All these are the beginning of sorrows.

Note"Sorrows" translates a Greek word for the contractions of childbirth. The image is not of grief but of labor pains: the first pangs of a process that has begun and will run its course.

9Then people will hand you over to be mistreated, and they will kill you. Every nation will hate you because of my name.

9Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake.

Note"Afflicted" here means persecuted or put under pressure, not merely upset. "For my name's sake" means because you carry my name, that is, because you are identified with me.

10At that time many will fall away. They will turn each other in and hate each other.

10And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.

Note"Offended" has shifted meaning since 1611. The Greek verb means to be tripped up or made to stumble, and here it describes people abandoning their allegiance under pressure, not people taking insult. "Betray one another" means handing each other over to the authorities.

11Many false prophets will appear, and they will fool many people.

11And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.

12Because wrongdoing will spread everywhere, the love of many people will grow cold.

12And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.

Note"Wax" is the old verb meaning to grow or become, as in a waxing moon. "Iniquity shall abound" means lawlessness will become widespread.

13But the one who holds out to the end will be saved.

13But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.

14And this good news about the kingdom will be preached in all the world, as a witness to every nation. Then the end will come.

14And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.

Note"Gospel" translates euangelion, good news, the word used for the public announcement of a victory or the accession of a ruler. "For a witness" means as formal testimony, the kind of evidence given in a legal hearing.

15So when you see 'the abomination of desolation', the hated thing that brings ruin, standing in the holy place, the thing the prophet Daniel spoke about (let the reader understand),

15When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)

Note"The abomination of desolation" is a phrase lifted from the book of Daniel, where it describes something detestable set up in the temple that makes the sanctuary unfit for worship and empties it. Readers in the first century would have associated it with the pagan altar that the Syrian king Antiochus IV erected on the temple altar in 167 BC. "The holy place" is the temple sanctuary itself. "Whoso readeth, let him understand" is an aside from the writer to whoever reads the passage aloud or hears it, flagging that the phrase is coded and needs decoding.

16then the people who are in Judea must run away to the mountains.

16Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains:

NoteJudaea is the southern district around Jerusalem, distinct from Galilee in the north and Samaria between them. The hill country to the east and south offered caves and rough terrain where people had traditionally hidden from armies.

17Anyone who is up on the roof must not go down to take anything out of the house.

17Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house:

NoteHouses had flat roofs reached by an outside stair, used for sleeping, drying produce and storage. Someone on the roof could go straight down and away without entering the house at all, which is the point: do not go back inside for possessions.

18And anyone who is out in the field must not go back to get his coat.

18Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes.

NoteThe word is the outer cloak, the heavy garment a man laid aside while working in the heat. It doubled as a blanket at night, so leaving it behind was a real loss, which is what makes the instruction urgent.

19How hard it will be in those days for women who are pregnant and for mothers nursing babies!

19And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!

Note"Them that give suck" is the older English for women who are breastfeeding. Both groups named are people who cannot move quickly.

20Pray that you will not have to run away in winter or on the Sabbath day.

20But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day:

NoteWinter in Judaea is the rainy season, when dry stream beds fill and become impassable and roads turn to mud. On the sabbath, travel was restricted by custom and law to a short distance, gates might be shut, and supplies could not be bought, so a sabbath flight would be doubly hampered.

21For at that time there will be great suffering, worse than anything from the beginning of the world until now, and worse than anything that will ever come again.

21For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.

Note"Tribulation" translates thlipsis, literally pressure or being crushed. The phrasing "such as was not since the beginning of the world... nor ever shall be" is a stock Hebrew way of saying unparalleled, found in Daniel and elsewhere.

22If those days were not cut short, no one would be saved. But for the sake of the chosen ones, those days will be cut short.

22And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.

Note"No flesh" is a Hebrew way of saying no human being, or no living creature. "Saved" here carries its plain sense of survive or come through alive. "The elect" means those chosen, a standard term for the people God has selected.

23At that time, if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ!' or 'There he is!' do not believe it.

23Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not.

24For false Christs and false prophets will appear. They will do great signs and wonders, enough to fool even the chosen ones, if that were possible.

24For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.

Note"Signs and wonders" is a fixed pair of words used throughout the Hebrew scriptures for striking displays of power. The phrase itself says nothing about who is behind them, which is why false prophets can produce them.

25Listen, I have told you ahead of time.

25Behold, I have told you before.

26So if people tell you, 'Look, he is out in the desert,' do not go out there. If they say, 'Look, he is in the inner rooms,' do not believe it.

26Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not.

Note"The desert" is open uninhabited country, the wilderness, where renewal movements and would be deliverers had gathered followers before. "The secret chambers" are the inner rooms of a house, the windowless storerooms at the back, so the two rumors are opposites: far outside, or hidden deep inside.

27For the coming of the Son of Man will be like lightning that comes out of the east and flashes all the way to the west.

27For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

Note"The Son of man" renders an Aramaic phrase that in ordinary speech simply means a human being, but in Daniel chapter 7 it names a figure who comes with the clouds and receives authority over all peoples. It is the expression Jesus uses of himself throughout this Gospel, and it carries both senses at once.

28Wherever there is a dead body, that is where the vultures will gather.

28For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together.

NoteThe Greek word can mean either eagle or vulture, and vultures are what actually circle over carrion. The line is a proverb: the gathering of the birds makes the location obvious to everyone, so no one will need to be told where to look.

29Right after the suffering of those days, the sun will go dark, and the moon will not give its light. The stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.

29Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:

NoteThe wording here is assembled from the prophets, particularly Isaiah's oracles about the fall of Babylon and Edom, where darkened sun and falling stars are the standard poetic vocabulary for the collapse of a ruling power. "The powers of the heavens" can mean the heavenly bodies themselves or the spiritual authorities associated with them; the Greek allows both.

30Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and all the peoples of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.

30And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.

Note"All the tribes of the earth" means all the families or peoples of the earth, not the tribes of Israel specifically. "Coming in the clouds of heaven" is drawn word for word from Daniel chapter 7.

31He will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call. They will gather his chosen ones from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.

31And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

NoteThe trumpet is the shofar, a ram's horn, blown to summon Israel to assemble, to sound an alarm, or to mark a sacred day. "The four winds" means the four directions of the compass, a common way of saying from everywhere.

32Now learn this lesson from the fig tree. When its branches turn soft and put out leaves, you know that summer is near.

32Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh:

NoteThe fig tree drops its leaves in winter and buds late, so in a landscape of evergreens it is the tree that visibly announces the turn of the season. Its soft new shoots were a reliable local signal that summer had nearly arrived.

33In the same way, when you see all these things, you know that it is near, right at the door.

33So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors.

NoteThe Greek verb here has no stated subject, so the sentence can be read either as "it is near" or as "he is near", meaning either the event or the one who comes. Both readings are grammatically possible and translators are divided. "Even at the doors" means right at the doorway, about to enter.

34I tell you the truth: this generation will not pass away until all these things have happened.

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

NoteThe word rendered "generation" is genea, which normally means the people alive at one time, roughly forty years' worth. It can also carry the sense of a kind or breed of people, as in "a faithless generation". Which sense is meant here has been argued over since antiquity, and the Greek does not settle it.

35Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.

35Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.

36But no one knows the day or the hour, not even the angels of heaven. Only my Father knows.

36But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.

NoteMany of the oldest Greek manuscripts read "neither the Son" after "the angels of heaven", and most modern translations include it. The manuscripts behind the King James version lack the phrase, which is why it does not appear here.

37The coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah.

37But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

Note"Noe" is the King James spelling, taken from the Greek form of the name; the Hebrew form is Noah.

38For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving their children in marriage, right up to the day Noah went into the ark.

38For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,

Note"Giving in marriage" refers to the father's role of handing a daughter over to a husband, the other half of "marrying". The point of the list is that all four activities are utterly ordinary: life going on as normal.

39They knew nothing about it until the flood came and swept them all away. That is how it will be when the Son of Man comes.

39And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

40At that time two men will be in the field. One will be taken and the other left behind.

40Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.

41Two women will be grinding grain at the mill. One will be taken and the other left behind.

41Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.

NoteGrinding was daily household work done with a hand mill, two stacked circular stones turned by a handle, heavy enough that two women commonly worked it together, sitting opposite each other. Grain had to be ground fresh each day for that day's bread.

42So keep watch, because you do not know what hour your Lord is coming.

42Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.

Note"Watch" is literally stay awake, the word used for a sentry on night duty, and it sets up the picture of the householder in the next verse.

43But understand this: if the owner of the house had known what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake. He would not have let his house be broken into.

43But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up.

Note"The goodman of the house" is simply the master of the house, the householder. A "watch" is one of the shifts into which the night was divided, four shifts of roughly three hours each by Roman reckoning. "Broken up" means broken into, and the Greek verb is literally dug through: house walls were often mud brick, and a thief cut a hole in the wall rather than forcing a door.

44So you must be ready too, because the Son of Man will come at an hour you are not expecting.

44Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.

45So who is a faithful and wise servant? He is the one his master has put in charge of the household, to give the others their food at the right time.

45Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season?

Note"Meat" in 1611 English meant food of any kind, not flesh specifically. "In due season" means at the proper time, the fixed times when rations were handed out. The servant described is a household slave promoted to steward, put in charge of the other slaves and of distributing their food while the owner is away, a common arrangement in large estates.

46That servant is blessed if his master comes home and finds him doing this work.

46Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.

47I tell you the truth: the master will put him in charge of everything he owns.

47Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods.

Note"Goods" means property or possessions of every kind, not merchandise. Making a trusted slave steward over an entire estate was a real and substantial promotion.

48But suppose that servant is evil and says to himself, 'My master is taking a long time to come.'

48But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming;

49Then he starts beating the other servants and eating and drinking with drunks.

49And shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken;

Note"Smite" means to strike or beat. "The drunken" means drunkards. The abuse described is a steward using his delegated authority on the people he was meant to feed.

50The master of that servant will come on a day the servant is not expecting him, at an hour he does not know about.

50The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of,

51The master will cut him to pieces and put him with the hypocrites, the people who only pretend. There people will cry and grind their teeth."

51And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Note"Cut him asunder" translates a verb meaning to cut in two. Cutting a condemned person in half is attested as a real punishment in the ancient world, though many take the phrase here as a violent idiom for cutting someone off, that is, severing them from the household. "Hypocrites" translates the Greek word for a stage actor, someone speaking lines from behind a mask. "Gnashing of teeth" means grinding the teeth together, an expression of rage or of anguish.