3:24a

a kingdom: A kingdom is a country ruled by a king. But Jesus was not talking only about countries that had kings. He was giving a general rule that can be applied to any country or tribe.

Here are some other ways to translate kingdom in this context:

nation
-or-
tribe

divided against itself: The phrase divided against itself refers to different groups of people within a country fighting against each other. For example, the Contemporary English Version says:

A nation whose people fight each other

3:24b

it cannot stand: The phrase cannot stand is an idiom. It means “will not be able to endure/continue.” If the people of a country fight against each other, that country will be destroyed.

Here are some other ways to translate this:

cannot continue (New Century Version)
-or-
won’t last very long (Contemporary English Version)

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