Word Studies¶
genea (G1074) — "generation"¶
Original: genea (Greek) Transliteration: genea Pronunciation: ghen-eh-ah Part of Speech: Feminine noun Definition: From a presumed derivative of G1085 (genos); a generation; by implication, an age. Total occurrences: 42 (BLB count)
Translations¶
| Translation | Count | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| generation | 30 | 73.2% |
| generations | 6 | 14.6% |
| ages | 2 | 4.9% |
| to generation | 1 | 2.4% |
| times | 1 | 2.4% |
| time | 1 | 2.4% |
All Occurrences by Translation¶
"Generation" (30x): - Matt 11:16 — "But whereunto shall I liken this generation?" - Matt 12:39 — "An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign" - Matt 12:41 — "The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation" - Matt 12:42 — "The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with this generation" - Matt 12:45 — "Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation" - Matt 16:4 — "A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign" - Matt 17:17 — "O faithless and perverse generation" - Matt 23:36 — "All these things shall come upon this generation" - Matt 24:34 — "This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled" - Mark 8:12(2x) — "Why doth this generation seek after a sign?... no sign be given unto this generation" - Mark 8:38 — "in this adulterous and sinful generation" - Mark 9:19 — "O faithless generation" - Mark 13:30 — "This generation shall not pass, till all these things be done" - Luke 1:50 — "his mercy is on them that fear him from generation to generation" (generic = "each successive age") - Luke 7:31 — "the men of this generation" - Luke 9:41 — "O faithless and perverse generation" - Luke 11:29 — "This is an evil generation" - Luke 11:30 — "so shall also the Son of man be to this generation" - Luke 11:31 — "with the men of this generation" - Luke 11:32 — "with this generation" - Luke 11:50 — "may be required of this generation" - Luke 11:51 — "It shall be required of this generation" - Luke 16:8 — "in their generation wiser" (= in their age/time) - Luke 17:25 — "be rejected of this generation" - Luke 21:32 — "This generation shall not pass away, till all be fulfilled" - Acts 2:40 — "Save yourselves from this untoward generation" - Acts 8:33 — "who shall declare his generation?" (quoting Isa 53:8) - Acts 13:36 — "David, after he had served his own generation" - Heb 3:10 — "I was grieved with that generation" (quoting Ps 95:10)
"Generations" (6x): - Matt 1:17(4x) — "all the generations from Abraham to David" - Luke 1:48 — "all generations shall call me blessed" - Col 1:26 — "the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations"
"Ages" (2x): - Eph 3:5 — "Which in other ages was not made known" - Eph 3:21 — "throughout all ages, world without end"
"Time/times" (2x): - Acts 14:16 — "Who in times past suffered all nations" - Acts 15:21 — "Moses of old time hath in every city"
Jesus's Usage Pattern¶
In Jesus's speech, "this generation" (he genea haute) ALWAYS refers to his contemporaries — the people living at that time. The phrase is consistently accompanied by moral characterization: - Evil and adulterous (Matt 12:39; 16:4) - Faithless and perverse (Matt 17:17; Luke 9:41) - Wicked (Matt 12:45) - Adulterous and sinful (Mark 8:38) - Evil (Luke 11:29) - Untoward (Acts 2:40)
Matt 23:36 is the closest parallel to Matt 24:34: Same author (Matthew), same construction ("all these things" + "this generation"), same immediate context (Jesus in Jerusalem, shortly before the Olivet Discourse). In 23:36, "this generation" unambiguously refers to Jesus's contemporaries who would experience the judgment — fulfilled in AD 70.
genos (G1085) — "kind/race" (CONTRAST with genea)¶
Original: genos (Greek) Transliteration: genos Pronunciation: ghen-os Part of Speech: Neuter noun Definition: From G1096 (ginomai); "kin" — abstract or concrete, literal or figurative Total occurrences: 21 (BLB count)
Translations¶
| Translation | Count |
|---|---|
| kind | 3 |
| kindred | 2 |
| born | 2 |
| kinds | 2 |
| nation, country, stock, offspring, etc. | 10 |
| generation | 1 |
Key Distinction from genea (G1074)¶
- genos = race, ethnic group, lineage, type/kind (biological/ethnic category)
- genea = generation, age, contemporaries (temporal group)
- If Jesus meant "this race [the Jews] shall not pass away," he had genos available. He chose genea.
- genos is translated "generation" only once (1 Pet 2:9: "a chosen generation" = "a chosen race/people")
- In the Gospels, genos appears in Matt 13:47 ("every kind"), Matt 17:21/Mark 9:29 ("this kind" of demon), Mark 7:26 ("a Greek, a Syrophenician by nation")
- NONE of Jesus's genea uses have the meaning "race" or "ethnic group"
houtos / tauta (G3778 / G5023) — near demonstrative "this/these"¶
Original: houtos (Greek); tauta = neuter plural form Transliteration: houtos / tauta Part of Speech: Demonstrative pronoun Definition: The he (she or it), i.e. this or that — NEAR/proximal demonstrative
houtos (G3778) — 378 occurrences¶
Primary translations: this (143x), these (48x), the same (21x), he (14x)
tauta (G5023) — 174 occurrences¶
Primary translations: these things (102x, 58.6%), these (20x), thus (9x)
Usage in Matthew 24¶
- v.2: "See ye not all these things (tauta)?" — pointing at the temple buildings
- v.3: "when shall these things (tauta) be?" — disciples' question about temple destruction
- v.6: "all these things must come to pass" (implied tauta)
- v.8: "All these are the beginning of sorrows"
- v.33: "when ye shall see all these things (tauta)" — signs recognized
- v.34: "till all these things (panta tauta) be fulfilled" — THE KEY PHRASE
Grammatical point: tauta is the NEAR demonstrative. In v.34, "panta tauta" ("all these things") points to what is proximate, recognizable, observable — the signs Jesus has been describing. The shift to ekeinos in v.36 marks a different referent.
ekeinos (G1565) — remote demonstrative "that"¶
Original: ekeinos (Greek) Transliteration: ekeinos Pronunciation: ek-i-nos Part of Speech: Demonstrative pronoun Definition: That one (or neuter thing); often intensified — REMOTE/distal demonstrative Total occurrences: 251 (BLB count)
Translations¶
| Translation | Count | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| that | 57 | 33.5% |
| those | 33 | 19.4% |
| of that | 11 | 6.5% |
| they | 7 | 4.1% |
The tauta/ekeinos Pivot in Matthew 24:33-36¶
- v.33: "when ye shall see all these things (tauta — NEAR)" — observable signs
- v.34: "till all these things (tauta — NEAR) be fulfilled" — same referent as v.33
- v.36: "But of that day (ekeines — REMOTE)" — a DIFFERENT referent
Grammatical significance: The shift from tauta (near) to ekeinos (remote) is not arbitrary. Greek demonstratives encode spatial/temporal proximity: - tauta = "these [things right here, which we can see/discuss]" - ekeinos = "that [thing over there, remote, less accessible]"
Combined with "peri de" (v.36), which functions as a topic-shift marker in Matthew (cf. Matt 22:31; 24:36), this creates a structural break between "these things" (recognizable signs that the generation would see) and "that day" (the specific moment of the parousia, unknowable).
parousia (G3952) — "coming/presence"¶
Original: parousia (Greek) Transliteration: parousia Pronunciation: par-oo-see-ah Part of Speech: Feminine noun Definition: From the present participle of G3918 (pareimi); a being near, i.e. advent (often, return) Total occurrences: 24 (BLB count)
Translations¶
| Translation | Count | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| coming | 18 | 94.7% |
| presence | 1 | 5.3% |
All 24 Occurrences Classified¶
Eschatological uses (Christ's Second Coming) — 15 occurrences: - Matt 24:3 — "sign of thy coming" - Matt 24:27 — "so shall also the coming of the Son of man be" (like lightning) - Matt 24:37 — "as the days of Noe... so shall also the coming" - Matt 24:39 — "so shall also the coming of the Son of man be" - 1 Cor 15:23 — "they that are Christ's at his coming" - 1 Th 2:19 — "in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming" - 1 Th 3:13 — "at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints" - 1 Th 4:15 — "we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord" - 1 Th 5:23 — "preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ" - 2 Th 2:1 — "the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and our gathering together unto him" - 2 Th 2:8 — "destroy with the brightness of his coming" - Jas 5:7 — "unto the coming of the Lord" - 2 Pet 3:4 — "Where is the promise of his coming?" - 2 Pet 3:12 — "looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God" - 1 Jn 2:28 — "when he shall appear, we may have confidence... at his coming"
Transfiguration context — 1 occurrence: - 2 Pet 1:16 — "the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty" — Peter explicitly connects parousia to the Transfiguration
Non-eschatological uses (ordinary arrival) — 5 occurrences: - 1 Cor 16:17 — "glad of the coming of Stephanas" - 2 Cor 7:6,7 — "the coming of Titus" - Phil 1:26 — "my coming to you again" - Phil 2:12 — "not as in my presence only"
Antichrist's parousia — 1 occurrence: - 2 Th 2:9 — "whose coming is after the working of Satan"
Human presence — 1 occurrence: - 2 Cor 10:10 — "his bodily presence is weak" (only instance translated "presence")
Key Finding¶
18 of 24 occurrences (75%) are eschatological. All 4 Matthean uses (24:3,27,37,39) are unambiguously about Christ's visible, end-time return. When Peter uses parousia in 2 Pet 1:16 in connection with the Transfiguration, he is not saying the parousia already occurred but that the Transfiguration was a preview/foretaste of it.
synteleia (G4930) — "consummation/end"¶
Original: synteleia (Greek) Transliteration: synteleia Pronunciation: soon-tel-i-ah Part of Speech: Feminine noun Definition: From G4931 (synteleo); entire completion, i.e. consummation (of a dispensation) Total occurrences: 6 (BLB count)
Translations¶
| Translation | Count |
|---|---|
| end | 4 |
| the end | 2 |
All Occurrences¶
- Matt 13:39 — "The harvest is the end [synteleia] of the world [aionos]"
- Matt 13:40 — "so shall it be in the end [synteleia] of this world [aionos]"
- Matt 13:49 — "So shall it be at the end [synteleia] of the world [aionos]"
- Matt 24:3 — "the sign of thy coming, and of the end [synteleia] of the world [aionos]"
- Matt 28:20 — "I am with you alway, even unto the end [synteleia] of the world [aionos]"
- Heb 9:26 — "now once in the end [synteleia] of the world [aionon] hath he appeared"
Key Finding¶
ALL 5 Matthean uses form the phrase "synteleia tou aionos" = "consummation of the age." This is STRONGER than telos (G5056, the ordinary word for "end"). Synteleia means the total, complete winding-up of an era — not merely an endpoint but the final consummation. In Matt 24:3, the disciples use this technical term, showing they understood they were asking about the absolute end of the age, not merely the temple's destruction.
erchomai (G2064) — "come"¶
Original: erchomai (Greek) Transliteration: erchomai Pronunciation: er-khom-ahee Part of Speech: Verb (middle voice) Definition: Middle voice of a primary verb; to come or go Total occurrences: 643 (BLB count)
Key Eschatological Uses¶
- Matt 16:27 — "the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father"
- Matt 16:28 — "see the Son of man coming [erchomenon, present participle] in his kingdom"
- Matt 24:30 — "they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds"
- Matt 25:31 — "When the Son of man shall come in his glory"
- Luke 21:27 — "see the Son of man coming in a cloud"
- Rev 1:7 — "Behold, he cometh with clouds"
- Rev 22:7 — "Behold, I come quickly"
Usage in Matt 16:28¶
The Greek has erchomenon (present middle/passive participle, accusative singular masculine) — "coming." The participle form indicates ongoing action: "see the Son of man [in the process of] coming in his kingdom." This could describe: (1) a single dramatic event (the Transfiguration as a preview), or (2) the progressive establishment of Christ's kingdom, which the disciples would witness beginning in their lifetime.
basileia (G932) — "kingdom"¶
Original: basileia (Greek) Transliteration: basileia Pronunciation: bas-il-i-ah Part of Speech: Feminine noun Definition: Properly, royalty, i.e. (abstractly) rule, or (concretely) a realm Total occurrences: 162 (BLB count)
Translations¶
| Translation | Count | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| kingdom | 140 | 89.7% |
| the kingdom | 6 | 3.8% |
| kingdoms | 4 | 2.6% |
| a kingdom | 4 | 2.6% |
Synoptic Comparison in the "Some Standing Here" Passage¶
- Matt 16:28: "the Son of man coming in his kingdom [basileia]" — focus on Christ's royal authority
- Mark 9:1: "the kingdom of God come with power" — focus on divine power
- Luke 9:27: "see the kingdom of God" — simplest form, just "seeing" the kingdom
The three formulations suggest the "kingdom" is not a single geographic/political entity but the manifestation of God's royal rule. The Transfiguration (which follows in all three) displays Christ's glory, divine authority, and heavenly approval — a foretaste of the kingdom.
parerchomai (G3928) — "pass away"¶
Original: parerchomai (Greek) Transliteration: parerchomai Pronunciation: par-er-khom-ahee Part of Speech: Verb Definition: From G3844 (para) + G2064 (erchomai); to come near or aside, i.e. to approach (arrive), go by (or away) Total occurrences: 31 (BLB count)
Key Uses in Matthew 24:34-35¶
- v.34: "this generation shall not pass [parelthe, aorist active subjunctive]" — ou me + subjunctive = strongest possible negation in Greek: "this generation will absolutely not pass away"
- v.35a: "Heaven and earth shall pass away [pareleusontai, future middle indicative]"
- v.35b: "my words shall not pass away [parelthosi, aorist active subjunctive with ou me]"
Significant Connection¶
The SAME verb (parerchomai) is used for: 1. The generation "not passing" (v.34) 2. Heaven and earth "passing away" (v.35a) 3. Jesus's words "not passing away" (v.35b)
This creates a chain of authority: The generation will witness these things BEFORE it passes; even heaven and earth will pass before Christ's words fail. The use of the same verb ties the guarantee of v.34 to the cosmic certainty of v.35.
Other Notable Uses¶
- Matt 5:18 — "Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law"
- Matt 26:39,42 — "let this cup pass from me" (Jesus in Gethsemane)
- 2 Pet 3:10 — "the heavens shall pass away with a great noise"
- Rev 21:1 — "the first heaven and the first earth were passed away"
epiphaneia (G2015) — "appearing/manifestation"¶
Original: epiphaneia (Greek) Transliteration: epiphaneia Pronunciation: ep-if-an-i-ah Part of Speech: Feminine noun Definition: A manifestation, i.e. (specially) the advent of Christ Total occurrences: 6 (BLB count)
Translations¶
| Translation | Count |
|---|---|
| appearing | 5 |
| brightness | 1 |
All Occurrences¶
- 2 Th 2:8 — "the brightness of his coming" (paired with parousia)
- 1 Tim 6:14 — "until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ"
- 2 Tim 1:10 — "the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ" (first advent)
- 2 Tim 4:1 — "who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing"
- 2 Tim 4:8 — "all them also that love his appearing"
- Tit 2:13 — "the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ"
Relevance¶
Used exclusively for Christ's advents (both first and second). In 2 Tim 4:1, epiphaneia is explicitly connected to judging the living and dead — a future event. This confirms the NT expectation of a visible, future return distinct from AD 70 events.