Paragraph 21:32–33

21:32a

Truly I tell you: The Greek clause that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Truly I tell you is literally “Amen I tell you.” Jesus used it to introduce a statement that he wanted to emphasize. It indicates that the statement is important and reliable, and people should listen carefully to it. For more information and translation examples, see the note on 18:17a.

21:32b–c

this generation will not pass away until all these things have happened: There are many different ways to interpret this clause and the words and phrases it contains. Here are the three most likely interpretations:

(1) It refers to the people who were alive in Jesus’ lifetime. It indicates that they will not all die until the things that Jesus mentioned have happened. For example:

the present generation will live to see it all (Revised English Bible)

(Berean Standard Bible, Revised English Bible, Good News Translation, New Century Version, Contemporary English Version)

(2) It refers to the people who will be alive at the time when the signs in 21:25–26 begin to happen. For example:

The people living at that time will certainly not all die before those things happen.

(3) It is used more generally to refer to the Jews as a race or specifically to Jewish people who refused to believe in Jesus. For example:

Some of this race/type ⌊of people⌋ will still be alive/existing when these things happen.

Most English versions translate the phrase literally as this generation, as the Berean Standard Bible does, or as “the people of this time.” It is good to translate the phrase so that people can interpret it in different ways. If you must make one of the interpretations explicit, it is recommended that you follow interpretation (1).

all these things: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates with the phrase all these things literally means “all ⌊things⌋.” There are different ways to interpret the phrase in this context. Two of the major interpretations are:

(1) It refers to signs that happened at the time when Jerusalem was destroyed.

(2) It refers to all the signs and even includes his return.

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). This fits with the interpretation that the Notes recommend for “this generation.” Many people who were listening to Jesus were still alive when Jerusalem was destroyed. However, it is good not to be too explicit in your translation, since there are many ways to interpret this verse.

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