complete verse (Matthew 24:7)

Following are a number of back-translations of Matthew 24:7:

  • Uma: “At that time many villages will war against each other, one king opposing another king, and all over there will be famines and earthquakes.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “One tribe will fight with another tribe and one kingdom will fight with another kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in all the countries of the world.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “One place will fight against its companion place. One kingdom will war against its companion kingdom. Famine will happen and earthquakes all over.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “Because the collective-countries will wage-war and likewise also the governments. There will also be famines and earthquakes in the many-countries.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “Because nations will be at war (with each other), kingdoms against other kingdoms. Severe famines will come and the earth will quake all over the place.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “Nations will arise to make war with other nations. Rulers will arise to make wars with other rulers. There will be famines, there will be epidemics. There will be earthquakes everywhere.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

Translation commentary on Matthew 24:7

Another traditional conviction of apocalyptic authors is that international wars and natural disasters (famines and earthquakes) will all take place immediately prior to the end of history. But Matthew corrects this belief by indicating that these are all part of the natural course of history and are in no way to be looked upon as indicators of the end of time (see verses 6b, 8).

Nation will rise against nation is generally assumed to be a reference to international wars. However, kingdom against kingdom may refer to civil wars, or it may be taken as parallel to nation will rise against nation. Matthew probably had no firm distinction in mind; the significance of the two clauses may well be “There will be wars and civil strife everywhere.”

The expression rise against can be translated in a rather general sense of fighting or warfare, as in Good News Translation, but can also be rendered with the somewhat more specific notion of “attack.” One possible translation is “For nations will attack each other and kingdoms will go to war.”

Famines are, alas, too well known. If, however, there is no specific word for them, translators can use an expression such as “in many places there will be no food for people to eat” or “people in some places will be starving.”

Quoted with permission from Newman, Barclay M. and Stine, Philip C. A Handbook on the Gospel of Matthew. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1988. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .