19:44a
They will level you to the ground—you and the children within your walls: The Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as level…to the ground has two meaning, “level to the ground” and “throw to the ground.” Here the verb has two different objects:
(a) One object is you, which refers to the city itself. With this object, the verb indicates that the army will break down the walls and buildings and level them.
(b) The other object is the children within your walls. This object refers to the people of Jerusalem. With this object, the verb indicates that the soldiers will kill the people by throwing them to the ground.
In some languages there may be one verb that can be used with both objects, such as “destroy” or “dash” in English. Here is another way to translate this:
They will destroy you and all your people (New Century Version)
If there is no verb like this, you may use two different verbs. For example:
They will break your(sing) walls to the ground and they will kill your(sing) people by smashing them against the ground.
you and the children within your walls: Here Jesus continued to use a figure of speech to speak of Jerusalem. He spoke as though Jerusalem were a mother and its people were her children. In this context he was saying that the enemy would destroy the city itself and the people in the city. The word children does not refer only to children. It includes all the people in Jerusalem.
In some languages people may not understand this figure of speech. You may need to translate the meaning without the figure, as in the example in the preceding note.
within your walls: The city of Jerusalem was surrounded by high walls that protected it from enemies. However, here the Greek text does not actually mention these walls. It says “within you.” The Berean Standard Bible has supplied your walls in order to make clear that Jesus was still speaking to the city about its people. Other ways to translate it are:
who live within you(sing)
-or-
in the/your city
19:44b
They will not leave one stone on another: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates literally as They will not leave one stone on another indicates that they will knock down every single stone. This is a figure of speech called hyperbole. It emphasizes that the enemy soldiers would completely destroy the city. It does not mean literally that no stone would be on top of any other stone.
Other ways to translate this are:
not a single building or wall will be left standing
-or-
your walls and buildings will be completely destroyed
19:44c
because you did not recognize the time of your visitation from God: This clause gives the reason for the things that would happen in 19:43–44. In some languages it may be helpful to make the connection more explicit. For example:
⌊All this will happen⌋ because you did not recognize…
your visitation from God: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates literally as your visitation reflects a Hebrew term with the same meaning that occurs often in the Old Testament. Both terms refer to a special visit by God to bring judgment or mercy. In this context it refers to a visit of mercy. It indicates that God had visited the people of Jerusalem in the person of Jesus, the Messiah. He came to save and bless them.
It is recommended that you make clear that God is the one who visits, as the Berean Standard Bible does and as a number of English versions also do:
your visitation from God (New Revised Standard Version)
-or-
God’s coming to you (New International Version)
It may also be helpful to make clear the reason for this visit:
when God came to you in/with mercy
-or-
when God came to save you (Good News Translation)
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