21:33

In 21:33 Jesus compared two things that are very reliable:

(a) Heaven and earth were reliable. They were likely to exist for a long time. In the Old Testament “heaven and earth” were often spoken of as enduring and firm. (See Isaiah 51:6 and Jeremiah 31:35–36.)

(b) The words of Jesus were more reliable than heaven and earth. When he told his disciples what would happen in the future, they could be sure that those things would happen just as he said.

In some languages a literal translation of this verse may not make the comparison clear. If that is true in your language, you may need to make the comparison more explicit. For example, the TRT suggests:

You can be sure that heaven and earth will pass away, but you can be even more sure the things I’m telling you about will happen. (Translator’s Reference Translation)

21:33a

Heaven and earth: The words Heaven and earth refer to the sky and the earth. For example:

The sky and the earth (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
Earth and sky (New Century Version)

Together, the two words Heaven and earth refer to the entire physical universe, which includes all the material things that God created. In this context Heaven does not refer to the place where God lives. See heaven, Meaning 1, in the Glossary.

will pass away: The Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as will pass away means “will come to an end” or “will cease to exist.” Other ways to translate this verb are:

will be destroyed (New Century Version)
-or-
will cease to exist

In some languages it may be more natural to use a negative phrase. For example:

won’t last forever (Contemporary English Version)

21:33b

but: The Greek conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as but here introduces a contrast with 21:33a.

My words will never pass away: This clause indicates that the things that Jesus spoke will never be forgotten and will never be proved false. They will certainly happen, just as he said. Another way to translate this is to use a positive expression. For example:

my words will remain forever (New Living Translation (1996))

In some languages it is not natural to say that words pass away or “remain forever.” Use a natural way in your language to indicate that what Jesus said is completely reliable and certain to happen. For example:

what I say will certainly not fail to happen
-or-
what I tell you is completely reliable/trustworthy

My words: The phrase My words refers to all that Jesus ever spoke, including what he had just said about what would happen in the future.

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