13:20a–b
If the Lord had not cut short those days, nobody would be saved: In 13:20a–b, Jesus spoke as though the Lord had already cut short the days. It was common in Old Testament prophecy to refer to future events as if they had already happened. That implied that the events were sure to happen, because God had already decided that they would happen. See the New Century Version example below.
In the Greek text the sentence begins with the word If and the expression is negative: had not cut short. Many English versions translate it with a negative expression. It is also possible to express this sentence in a positive way, as in the New Century Version:
God has decided to make that terrible time short. Otherwise, no one would go on living.
The New Century Version has supplied the verb “has decided,” which is implied in the Greek statement.
13:20a
If the Lord: The expression the Lord refers here to “God,” as in the New Century Version. See the two terms you used to translate “the Lord” in 12:36b. One term referred to Jesus and the other term referred to God. Use the same term for the Lord (God) here in 13:20a that you used in 12:36b. See Lord, Context 2, in the Glossary.
had not cut short those days: The expression cut short those days is an idiom. It refers to reducing the time of suffering. Jesus was not talking about shortening the length of each day.
Here are some other ways to translate this:
make that time of suffering end sooner
-or-
make that terrible time shorter
-or-
reduce that time (God’s Word)
13:20b
nobody would be saved: In the context of 13:14–20, the Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as be saved refers to being saved from physical distress/sufferings. Many English versions translate this with a word or phrase that means “survive.” It is recommended that you use a similar word.
Here are some other ways to translate this:
continue to live
-or-
not die
13:20c
But for the sake of the elect, whom He has chosen: The phrase for the sake of the elect means “because of the elect.”
Here are some other ways to translate this:
But because of the elect, whom he chose (NET Bible)
-or-
But…to help the people he has chosen. (New Century Version)
the elect, whom He has chosen: The phrases the elect and whom He has chosen have the same meaning.
Here are some other ways to translate this:
• Use two expressions with the same meaning. For example:
the selected people, the ones whom he has chosen
-or-
his chosen people, those whom he has selected
• Use only one expression with this meaning. For example:
his chosen people (Good News Bible)
-or-
those whom he has chosen (God’s Word)
the elect: The expression the elect refers to the people whom God has chosen. Mark was referring here to Christians, that is, to people who trust in Jesus. However, he did not say that explicitly. He used the phrase the elect as a title to refer to them.
Here are some other ways to translate this:
the elected/chosen people
-or-
the selected people
-or-
the people whom God elected/chose
In this context the text does not specify the purpose for which the people were chosen. In some languages a verb like “chose” or “elect” requires a purpose. If that is true in your language, you may need to supply a general purpose. For example:
the people whom God chose to be his own
He has cut them short: The clause He has cut them short means “The Lord has shortened those days.” This means that the Lord has decided to make the length of time that his people will suffer shorter. This is the positive way to say, “If he had not cut short those days” in 13:20a.
Paragraph 13:21–23
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