Subject: This generation will not pass away.... |
Bible Note: Hi Vintage68 There is a great deal of misunderstanding about the word Generation used in the Bible. We need to be careful to understand what it means in context because the term varies quite a bit from passage to passage and verse to verse. John Smith's Bible Dictionary Generation Genesis 2:4, "These are the generations," means the "history." 5:1, "The book of the generations," means a family register, or history of Adam. 37:2, "The generations of Jacob" equals the history of Jacob and his descendants. 7:1, "In this generation" equals in this age. Psalms 49:19, "The generation of his fathers" equals the dwelling of his fathers, i.e., the grave. Psalms 73:15, "The generation of thy children" equals the contemporary race. Isaiah 53:8, "Who shall declare his generation?" equals His manner of life who shall declare? or rather equals His race, posterity, shall be so numerous that no one shall be able to declare it. In Matthew 1:17, the word means a succession or series of persons from the same stock. Matthew 3:7, "Generation of vipers" equals brood of vipers. 24:34, "This generation" equals the persons then living contemporary with Christ. 1 Peter 2:9, "A chosen generation" equals a chosen people. The Hebrews seem to have reckoned time by the generation. In the time of Abraham a generation was an hundred years, thus: Genesis 15:16, "In the fourth generation" equals in four hundred years (comp. verse 13 and Exodus 12:40). In Deuteronomy 1:35 and 2:14 a generation is a period of thirty-eight years. |