Matthew 24:3–8
The disciples ask for the sign; Jesus begins by warning them not to be deceived
Study it word by word3And as he was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”
4And Jesus answered them, “See to it that no one leads you astray.
5For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and they will lead many astray.
6And you will hear of wars and reports of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for it must happen, but the end is not yet.
7For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places.
8But all these things are the beginning of birth pains.
In its context
1And Jesus went out from the temple and was going away, and his disciples came up to point out to him the buildings of the temple.
2But he answered them, “Do you not see all these things? Truly I tell you, there will never be left here one stone upon another that will not be torn down.”
…
9Then they will hand you over to affliction and will kill you, and you will be hated by all the nations because of my name.
10And then many will fall away, and they will hand one another over and hate one another.
Its words in the original
- ΚαθημένουKathēmenou· sit
Be sitting; dwell.
- ὌρουςOrous· mountain
Mountain, hill.
- ἘλαιῶνElaiōn· olive tree
Olive tree. "The Mount of Olives" lies east of Jerusalem.
- προσῆλθονprosēlthon· come to, approach
Come up to, approach someone.
- μαθηταὶmathētai· disciple
Disciple: someone who learns from a teacher and follows him in order to live as he does.
- ἰδίανidian· own
One's own, his own.
- λέγοντεςlegontes· say
Say, speak; in the passive, "be called".
- πότεpote· when?
When? "How long?".
- ἔσταιestai· be
Be, exist.
- σημεῖονsēmeion· sign
Sign, a wonder that points to something.
- σῆςsēs· your, yours
Your, yours (of one person).
- παρουσίαςparousias· coming, presence
Coming, arrival and presence; it was said of a king's visit.
- συντελείαςsynteleias· end, consummation
End, completion; "the end of the age".
- αἰῶνοςaiōnos· age
Age: a long period of the world's time; "forever", literally "into the ages".
- ἀποκριθεὶςapokritheis· answer
Answer, reply; speak up.
- ἸησοῦςIēsous· Jesus
Jesus, the Greek form of the Hebrew Yehoshua (Joshua), which means "YHWH saves". It is the name the angel told Joseph to give him (Matthew 1:21).
- ΒλέπετεBlepete· see, look
See, look; watch out.
- πλανήσῃplanēsēi· lead astray, deceive
Lead astray, deceive; go astray.
- πολλοὶpolloi· much, many
Much, great; in the plural, many.
- ἐλεύσονταιeleusontai· come, go
Come, arrive; go.
- ὀνόματίonomati· name
Name. In the Bible, a name stands for the person himself.
- χριστόςchristos· Messiah
Messiah: literally "anointed", the king or envoy God consecrates with oil. It is a title, not a surname; in Hebrew, mashiach.
- μελλήσετεmellēsete· be about to
Be about to, be going to do something.
- ἀκούεινakouein· hear, listen
Hear, listen; also heed.
- πολέμουςpolemous· war, battle
War; battle.
- ἀκοὰςakoas· report, hearing
What is heard: news, report; also the ear, hearing.
- ὁρᾶτεhorate· see
See, look; notice.
- θροεῖσθεthroeisthe· be alarmed
Be alarmed, frightened.
- δεῖdei· bind, tie
Bind, tie.
- γενέσθαιgenesthai· become, happen
Become, happen, come about; be born.
- οὔπωoupō· not yet
Not yet.
- τέλοςtelos· end
End, completion; "to the end", fully. Also tax.
- ἐγερθήσεταιegerthēsetai· raise
Raise, wake up; get up; raise from the dead.
- ἔθνοςethnos· nation
Nation, people; in the plural, often the peoples who are not Israel.
- βασιλείαbasileia· kingdom
Kingdom: the reign of a king and the place where he reigns. "The kingdom of heaven" is the reign of God.
- λιμοὶlimoi· famine, hunger
Hunger; famine.
- σεισμοὶseismoi· earthquake
Shaking: an earthquake; also a violent storm.
- τόπουςtopous· place
Place.
- ἀρχὴarchē· beginning
Beginning, start; also authority, rule.
- ὠδίνωνōdinōn· birth pains
Labor pains.