Christ’s Words

Mar 13:14 But when you shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not, (let him that reads understand,) then let them that be in Judaea flee to the mountains:
?????? ???????? ????? ???????
???? ?? ????? “?? ???????? ??? ?????????” ???????? ???? ?? ???, ? ??????????? ??????, ???? ?? ?? ?? ??????? ?????????? ??? ?? ???,

(Sorry, cannot get my site to show Greek characters, am working on problem).

Alternative: And you may see the rotten and despoiled raised up where it is not needed, those recognizing it must know what is coming, then those in Judea must flee to the mountains. (My Greek version doesn’t show the statement about Daniel, Dan 9:27).

Hidden meaning: Christ does not see the end result of all temporary life, becoming rotten and despoiled with time, as a bad thing in itself any more than he see the other physical parts of life, eating and drinking, for example, as bad. However, these aspect of life have their proper place. Spreading fertilizer makes sense in the field but not in the house.  Rot and spoiling is needed some places but not others. That is what Christ is warning us about here.

The word “standing” has a wealth of meanings (see below), but the sense here is that the rotten and despoiled are being raised up and somehow praised. This means that people start seeing some kind of value in what is worthless, raising up filth and destruction as good things.

When this happens, it means things are about to fall apart. Those that recognize what is happening need to head for the hills.

Thematically and Linguistically Related Verse(s):
Mat 24:15 and Mat 24:16 are the parallel verses in Matthew.

Vocabulary:

“When” is from ???? (hotan), which means “whenever (as a condition),” and “since (as a cause).”

“Shall see” is from ????, (eidon) which means “to see,” “to examine,” “to perceive,” “to behold,” “to know how to do,” “to see with the mind’s eye,” and “to know.”

“Abomination” is from ???????? (bdelygma), which means “abomination,”  “foul thing,” and detestable thing, coming from a root word meaning to “to stinck” or “to rotten.”  This word is only found in the biblical Greek.

“Desolation” is from ????????? (eremosis), which means “making desolate,” “laying waste,” “ruining,” and “despoiling.”

“Standing” is from  ???????? (histemi), which means “to make to stand,” “to stand,” “to set up,” “to bring to a standstill,” “to check,” “to appoint,” “to establish,” “to fix by agreement,” “to be placed,” “to be set,” “to stand still,” “to stand firm,” “to set upright,” “to erected,” “to arise,” and “to place.” Like the English words “put” and “set,” it has a number of specific meanings from “to put down [in writing],” “to bury,” “to establish,” “to make,” “to cause,” and “to assign.”

“Where” is from ???? (hopou), which means “somewhere,” “anywhere,” “wherever,”  and “where.”

“Ought” is from, ??? (dei), which means “needful,” and “there is need.”

“Let him that reads” is from anagignôskô (anaginosko), which means “to recognize,” “to know well,” “to know certainly,” “to know again,” “to own,” and “to acknowledge.”

“Understand” is from noeô (noeo), means specifically “to perceive with the mind,” “apprehend,” “think out, “devise,” “consider,” and “reflect.”

“Flee” is from ??????????, (pheugo) which means “to flee,” “to take flight,” “to escape,” and “to flee one’s country.”

Mar 13:13 And you shall be hated of all [men] for my name’s sake: but he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.
Alternative: And you shall be hated by all thanks to my name but he that stands his ground until the fulfillment shall be saved from death.

Wordplay: Christ makes a little joke here, saying that his follower will be hared by all “thanks to” his name.

Hidden meaning: The term here used translated as “end” has a very strong sense of the fulfillment of a purpose, not just an finish of something. This is the word Christ uses whenever he talks about “the end of the age,” which usually gets translated as “the end of time” but its meaning is much closer to the fulfillment of a period of time, its meaning and purpose.

Thematically and Linguistically Related Verse(s): Mat 10:22 is the parallel in Matthew.

Vocabulary:

“You shall  be” is from eimi (eimi), which means “to be,” “to exist,” “to be the case,” and “is possible.” (The future form is esomai.”)

“Hate” and “hated” are both from miseô (miseo), which means “to hate” and in passive, “to be hated.”

“Of” is from hupo (hypo), which means “by,” “before,’ and “under,” (with genitive and passive verbs of cause, as here).

“All” is from pas (pas), which means “all,” “the whole,” “every,” “anyone,” “all kinds,” and “anything.”

“For” is from dia (dia) which means “thanks to: and “because of” in with a causal verb in the causative, as here. In other uses it also  means “by,” “by means ofm: “through,” “in the midst of,” “in a line (movement),” “throughout (time),” “by,” “among,” and “between.”

“Name” is from onoma (onoma) which means “name.” It means both the reputation of “fame,” and “a name and nothing else,” as opposed to a real person. Acting in someone’s name means to act on their behalf, as their representative.

“But” is from de (de), which means “but.” It is the particle that joins sentences and an adversarial way.

“Shall endure” is from hupomeno (hypomeno), which means”stay behind,” “await,” “bide,” “stand one’s ground,” “stay firm,” and “dare to do.”

“To” is from eis (eis), which means “into (of place),”  “up to (of time),” “until (of time),” “as much as (of measure or limit),” “as far as (of measure or limit),” “towards (to express relation),” “in regard to (to express relation),” “of an end or limit,” and “for (of purpose or object).”

“End” is from telos (telos), which means “come to pass,” “performance,” “consummation,” “result,” “product,” “outcome,” “end,” “achievement,” “attainment,” “goal,” “state of completion,” “maturity,” “services rendered,” “something done,” “task,” “duty,” “toll,” and “custom.”

“The same” is from houtos (houtos), which means “this,” “that,” “the nearer.” As an adverb, it means “therefore,” and “that is why.”

“Shall be saved” is from sôizô (sozo), which means “save from death,” “keep alive,” “keep safe,” “preserve,” “maintain,” “keep in mind,” “carry off safely,” and “rescue.”

Mar 13:12 Now the brother shall betray the brother to death, and the father the son; and children shall rise up against [their] parents, and shall cause them to be put to death.

Alternative: But brother will turn in brothers as far as death and father, children and child shall rise against their parents to condemn them to death.

Hidden meaning: In Christ’s division of life into the physical, mental, and emotional, (Three Plus One: The Pattern of Christ’s Words) family is the symbol for our emotional life.  This emotional relationship (especially in children, the term used here) is often represented as the closest we get on earth to the spiritual. So the division and death here are not just physical but emotional, a separation from what is the most important.

Thematically and Linguistically Related Verse(s): Mat 10:21 is the parallel in Matthew.

Vocabulary:

“Now” is from de (de), which means “but.” It is the conjunction that joins sentences and an adversarial way.

“Brother” is from adelphos (adelphos),which means “son of the same mother,” “kinsman,” “colleague,” “associate,” and “brother.”

“Betray” is from paradidômi (paradidomi), which means “to give over to another,” “to transmit,” “to hand down,” “to grant,” “to teach,” and “to bestow.”

“To: is from eis (eis), which means “into (of place),”  “up to (of time),” “until (of time),” “as much as (of measure or limit),” “as far as (of measure or limit),” “towards (to express relation),” “in regard to (to express relation),” “of an end or limit,” and “for (of purpose or object).”

“Death” is thanatos (thanatos), which means “death” and “a death sentence.”

“Father” is from pater (pater), which means “father,” “grandfather,” “author,” “parent,” and “forefathers.”

“Son” and “children” are from teknon (teknon), which means “that which is born,” “child,” and “the young.”

“Shall rise” is from epianistêmi, which is a combination of  epi, (epi) which means “on,” “upon,” “at,” “by,” “before,” “across,” and “against.” and anistêmi,  which means “to make stand up,” “to raise up,” “to raise from sleep,” “to wake up,” “to raise from the dead,” “to rouse to action,” “to put up for sale,” “to make people rise,” “to emigrate,” “to transplant,” and “to rise and leave the sanctuary.”

“Parents” is goneus, which mean “progenitor” and can refer to parents or ancestors.

“Shall cause to put to death” is from thanatoô (thanatoo), which means “to put to death,” “to be made dead (passive),” “to be put to death by sentence of law,” “to be fatal,” and “to cause death.”

ar 13:11 But when they shall lead [you], and deliver you up, take no thought beforehand what you shall speak, neither do you premeditate: but whatsoever shall be given you in that hour, that speak you: for it is not you that speak, but the Holy Ghost.

Alternative: But since they will fetch [you] to turn you in, don’t worry beforehand about what you will babble nor should you rehearse: you will be given what to babble at the right time: for it is not you that babbles but divine inspiration.

Wordplay: Christ plays in the idea of being “given” something to contrast when men give and what God gives us. A form of the same word is used to describe being handed over to authorities by others and being given inspiration from the Holy Spirit. In a sense, both are seen as gifts.

Hidden meaning:The big surprise in this verse is the word used for “speak.” There are two words that Christ normally uses for “speaking” and “saying” things, eipon and legô.

Here he repeated uses another word, laleô. this word carries the sense of very casual speaking, chatting, if you will. It very much is the idea of speaking without really paying any attention to what you are saying.

The sense is that in these pressured situations, Christ doesn’t want us to expect that we are going to be calm are make serious pronouncements. Instead of worrying about what we say, we should just go with it. Don’t worry about it. While it may not be what we think should be said, it is what God thinks should be said.

Thematically and Linguistically Related Verse(s): Luk 12:12 is the similar verse in Luke. There is no parallel in Matthew.

Vocabulary:

“But” is from de (de), which means “but.” It is the conjunction that joins sentences and an adversarial way.

“When” is from hotan (hotan), which means “whenever (as a condition),” and “since (as a cause).”

“Shall lead” is from agô (ago), which means to “lead,” “carry,” “bring,” “fetch,” “take with one,” “carry of,” “bear up,” “remove,” “lead to a point,” “lead,” “guide,” “manage,” “refer,” “bring up,” “train,” “educate,” “reduce,” “draw out (in length),” “hold,” “celebrate,” “observe (a date),” “pass (Time),” “hold account,” “treat,” “draw down (in the scale),” and “weight.”‘

“Deliver you up” is from paradidômi (paradidomi), which means “to give over to another,” “to transmit,” “to hand down,” “to grant,” “to teach,” and “to bestow.”

“Take thought beforehand” is from promerimnaô (promerimnao), which means “take thought before”  from deconstruction. The word only appears here in the gospel. It is made of pros (pros), which means “before” and mermêrizô, which means “to be anxious,” “to be in doubt,” and “to be thoughtful.”

“Told” is from laleô (laleo), which means “to talk,” “to prattle,” “to chat,” “to talk,” and “to speak.” It also means “chatter” as the opposite of articulate speech.

“Premeditate” is from meletaô (meletao), which means “take thought or care for,” “attend,” “study,” “pursue,” “exercise,” and “train.”

“Given” is from didômi (didomi), which means “to give,” “to grant,” “to hand over,” and “to describe.”

“Is” is from eimi (eimi), which means “to be,” “to exist,” “to be the case,” and “is possible.” (The 2rd person form is “este.”)

“Holy” is from hagios ( hagios ), which means “devoted to the gods,” “pure,” “holy,” and on the negative side “accursed.”

“Spirit” is pneuma (pneuma), which means “blast,” “wind,” “breath,” “the breath of life,” and “divine inspiration.”

Mar 13:10 And the gospel must first be published among all nations.

Alternative: And among all people, first the reward for bringing good news must be announced.

Wordplay: This statement is highly self-referential in the Greek because the two key words both refer to the task of bringing messages. The announcement of the reward for bringing good new (the gospel) is itself good news. The announcement of news is the news. The knowing the news is the reward for the news.

Hidden meaning: In English translation, the close connection between the two key words is lost completely both in translation and in history.  In Christ’s world, the “media” was the physical transportation of information and its communication in spoken words.  While written messages were passed, this was not the normal means of communication. Private message were delivered verbally to the intended recipient. Public message were announced publicly in the town center.

The word translated as “the gospel” is not simply the Greek word meaning “good news,” as it is usually represented. It is a longer word describing the reward one gets for bringing good news.  It conflates the two ideas: that of good news and the reward the messenger gets.

Christ’s use of it says that the news he brings and especially passing it on, is rewarding in and of itself. Knowledge is its own reward, and beyond that, communicating knowledge is rewarding as well.

Here, that word describing a reward is combined with another Greek word about bringing news and making announcements. This word brings in the idea of a public declaration. The declaration has the sense of a government announcement.  Heralds were usually sent out to communication official news, new regulations, and laws. Private people did not usually sent out heralds to make public announcements.

So there is a sense in this statement that all different types of people and nation will incorporate Christ’s message into their laws and announcements.  However, in the larger context of this section, there is a sense that though they incorporate Christ’s message, they use it. We see this, for example, religious law of the Middle ages an in Communism and other forms of statism in more modern times. This philosophies all base their appeal on idea of universal charity and justice that was unknown before Christ, but by making them compulsory under the treat of coercion by the state, make them meaningless in terms of personal virtue and highly destructive in term of social progress.

Thematically and Linguistically Related Verse(s): Mat 24:14 is the parallel verse in Matthew.

Vocabulary:

“Gospel” is from euangelion (euaggelion) a “reward of good tidings,” a “thank offering for good tidings, ” “good news,” and “good tidings.” Originally, this terms described a reward, like a tip, given to a messenger who brought good news.

“First” is from prôtos (protos). In place, this means “the foremost.” Of time, it means “the initial.” In order, it means “the first.” In math, it means the prime numbers. Of rank or degree, it means “the highest” or “the best.”

“Must” is from, dei (dei), which means “needful,” and “there is need.”

“Be published” is from kêrussô (kerysso), which means “to be a herald,” “to summon by a herald,” “proclaim,” “call upon,” “announce,” “declare,” and “command publicly.”  Only in the NT is it translated as “preach” or “teach pubicly.”

“All” is from pas (pas), which means “all,” “the whole,” “every,” “anyone,” “all kinds,” and “anything.”

“Nation” is from ethnos (ethnos), which means “a number of people living together,” “company,” “body of men,”  “tribe,” “a people,” “nation,” and (later) “foreign, barbarous nations.”

Mar 13:9 But take heed to yourselves: for they shall deliver you up to councils; and in the synagogues ye shall be beaten: and ye shall be brought before rulers and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them.

Alternative: But you watch yourselves. For they will hand you over in meetings and you will be flayed in places of assembly. You will be made to take a stand, will be brought before governors and rulers on account of me in the same testimony.

Hidden meaning:This verse describe two venues that Christ sees very differently. Christ always has a distrust for groups of people. Notice, when brought before the groups (councils and synagogues), no one has a chance: they are just punished. However when brought before individuals, kings and commanders, the apostles can defend themselves, giving testimony to what they know.

Christ sees group relationships as inherently corrupt by social pressures. Only in one-on-one relationships, can we make a realy, human connection, even if we are talking to kinds and rulers.

Thematically and Linguistically Related Verse(s): Mat 24:7 is the parallel verse in Matthew.

Vocabulary:

“But” is from de (de), which means “but.” It is the particle that joins sentences and an adversarial way.

“Take heed” is from blepô (blepo), which means “to look” and “to see.” It is the more tangible sense of seeing, such as seeing what is right in front of you rather than understanding.

“For” comes from gar (gar) which is the introduction of a clause explaining a reason or explanation:  “for,” “since,” and “as.” In an abrupt question it means “why” and “what.”

“Shall deliver” is from paradidômi (paradidomi), which means “to give over to another,” “to transmit,” “to hand down,” “to grant,” “to teach,” and “to bestow.”

“Councils” is from sunedrion (synedrion), which means “council,” “meeting,” “councils of war,” and “meeting room.”

“Synagogue” is from sunagôgê (synagoge), which means a “bringing together,” “assembly,” “place of assembly,” “contracting,” “collection,” “combination,” “conclusion,” and “demonstration.” It comes from a Greek word Christ uses commonly, sunagô, to mean “gather” or “bring together.”

“Shall be beaten” is from derô (dero), which means “to flay” or “to skin” someone, though in later use it came to mean “to cudgel” or “to thrash.”

Untrantranslated is histêmi (histemi), which means “to make to stand,” “to stand,” “to set up,” “to bring to a standstill,” “to check,” “to appoint,” “to establish,” “to fix by agreement,” “to be placed,” “to be set,” “to stand still,” “to stand firm,” “to set upright,” “to erected,” “to arise,” and “to place.” Like the English words “put” and “set,” it has a number of specific meanings from “to put down [in writing],” “to bury,” “to establish,” “to make,” “to cause,” and “to assign.”

“Shall be brought“  is from agô (ago), which means to “lead,” “carry,” “bring,” “fetch,” “take with one,” “carry of,” “bear up,” “remove,” “lead to a point,” “lead,” “guide,” “manage,” “refer,” “bring up,” “train,” “educate,” “reduce,” “draw out (in length),” “hold,” “celebrate,” “observe (a date),” “pass (Time),” “hold account,” “treat,” “draw down (in the scale),” and “weight.”‘

“Rulers” is from hêgemôn (hegemon), which means “one who leads,” “leader,” “commander,” “chief,” and “one who does a thing first.” The term was specifically used for the governors of provinces in Roman times.

“Kings” is from basileus (basileus), which means a “king,” “chief,” “prince,” “lord,” “master,” “a great man,” and “the first and most distinguished of any class.” It is a form of the world used for “kingdom.”

“Sake” is from heneka (heneka),  which means “on account of,” “as far as regards,” “in consequence of,” and “because.”

“Testimony” is from marturion (martyrion), which means “testimony,” and proof.”  From the word martus, source of our word martyr, which means “witness.”

Mar 13:8 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and troubles: these [are] the beginnings of sorrows.

Alternative: For people shall be roused up against people and state against state, and there will be agitation against regions and there will be hunger and the first political upheavals, these pains of childbirth.

Wordplay: This verse consist of five  phrases connected by the conjunction, “and” (kai). It reads almost like a poem, with its repetitions, nearly ending in a rhyming phase tarachê archê, first upheavals.

Hidden meaning: All of the words here have a political sense. While “seismos” means “earthquake,” as it is translated here, is more generally means “agitation.”  This is clear because the first phrase does not describe nation “rising up” against nation, but “being roused up,” that passive form. This describes agitation, specially as agitation against (kata) places not earthquakes in (en or eis) places. The topic here is political upheaval and seismos takes on the specific meaning of political shakeups.

The word translated as “troubles” is used to specially mean political upheavals.

It is interesting how Christ connects hunger specifically with political upheavals. He doesn’t mention the death of war here as the problem, but the hunger that comes from the breakdown on political order. Economic collapse is the biggest danger of conflict.

Thematically and Linguistically Related Verse(s): Mat 24:7 is the parallel verse in Matthew.

Vocabulary:

“For” comes from gar (gar) which is the introduction of a clause explaining a reason or explanation:  “for,” “since,” and “as.” In an abrupt question it means “why” and “what.”

“Nation” is from ethnos (ethnos), which means “a number of people living together,” “company,” “body of men,”  “tribe,” “a people,” “nation,” and (later) “foreign, barbarous nations.”

“Shall rise” is from egeirô (egeiro), which means “to awaken,” “to stir up,” and “to rouse.”

“Against” is from epi, (epi) which means “on,” “upon,” “at,” “by,” “before,” “across,” and “against.”

“Kingdom” is from basileia (basileia), which means “kingdom,” “dominion,” “hereditary monarchy,” “kingly office,” (passive) “being ruled by a king,” and “reign.”

“There shall be” is from eimi (eimi), which means “to be,” “to exist,” “to be the case,” and “is possible.” (The future form used here is esomai.)

“Earthquake” is from seismos (seismos), which means “shaking,” “earthquake,” “shock,” “agitation,” “commotion,” “blackmail,” and “extortion.”

“In diverse” is from kata (kata), which means “downwards,” “down from,” “down into,” “against,” “down toward,” “opposite,” “separately,” “individually,” “at a time,” “towards,” “in accordance with,” “concerning,” “corresponding with,” “during the course of a period,” and “severally.”

“Places” is from topos (topos), which means “place,” “region,” “position,” “part [of the body],” “district,” “room,” and “topic.” It is also a metaphor for “opening,” “occasion,” and “opportunity.”

“Famine” is from limos (limos), which means “hunger,” “famine,” and “a hungry wrench.”

“Troubles” is from tarachê (tarache), which means “disorder,” “disturbance,” “upheaval,” “political confusion,” “tumult,” and “troubles.”

“Beginning” is from archê (arche), which means “beginning,” “origin,” “first principles,” “first place of power,” “empire,” and “command.” This is the word from which we get both “archbishop,” primal bishops who can consecrate other bishops, and “archeology,” the study of ancient history.

“Sorrows” is from odis (odin), which means “pains of childbirth,” “that which is born in pain,” “travail,” and “anguish.”

Mar 13:7 And when you shall hear of wars and rumours of wars, be you not troubled: for [such things] must needs be; but the end [shall] not [be] yet.

Alternative: But whenever you might hear [of] wars and something heard about wars, don’t get excited.  They are needed for the becoming but not yet the purpose.

Wordplay: The word “hear” and “rumours” are just different forms of the same word.  The repeat of the verb and noun sets up a kind of echo, hearing what was heard, indicating that some of what we hear is not real, just an echo.

Hidden meaning: The word translated here as “be” actually means “becoming” and is used quite a lot by Christ to indicate that a larger process is going on. In the Lord’s Prayer, for example, this word is translated into “You will be done,” but the sense is much more “Your will is coming into being,” not an command like it sounds in English, but the recognition of a process of becoming. So Christ is saying that wars (and our taking and complaining about them) is part of this process of becoming.

The word translated as “end” doesn’t mean “end” simply in the sense of a finish, a stopping. It means end in the sense of a purpose, a goal.  So Christ says that these wars are needed, but not a goal in themselves, rather a necessary by product of the process of becoming.

An easy interpretation of this is the wars are a necessary by product of human freedom, which is necessary for the becoming.

Thematically and Linguistically Related Verse(s): Mat 24:6 is the parallel verse in Matthew.

Vocabulary:

“And” is from de (de), which means “but.” It is the particle that joins sentences and an adversarial way.

“When” is from hotan (hotan), which means “whenever (as a condition),” and “since (as a cause).”

“Shall hear” is from akouô (akouo), which means “hear of,” “hear tell of,” “what one actually hears,” “know by hearsay,” “listen to,” “give ear to,” “hear and understand,” and “understand.”

“War” is from polemos, (polemos), which means “war,” “battle,” or “fight.”

“Rumours” is from akoê, (akoe) which means “hearing,” “something heard,” “the sense of hearing,” and “ear.” This is the noun form of the verb above.

“Be troubled” is from throeô, (throeo) which means “to speak,” “to say,” “to speak out,” “to utter aloud,” “to scare (causal),” “to terrify (casual)”, and “to be stirred or moved (passive).”  The passive is used here.

“For” comes from gar (gar) which is the introduction of a clause explaining a reason or explanation:  “for,” “since,” and “as.” In an abrupt question it means “why” and “what.”

“Must needs” is from, dei (dei), which means “needful,” and “there is need.”

“Be” is from gignomai (ginomai), which means “to become,” “to come into being,” “to be produced,” and “to be.”

“End” is from telos, which means “come to pass,” “performance,” “consumation,” “result,” “product,” “outcome,” “end,” “achievement,” “attainment,” “goal,” “state of completion,” “maturity,” “services rendered,” “something done,” “task,” “duty,” “toll,” and “custom.”

“But” is from alla (alla), which means “otherwise,” “but,” “still,” “at least,” “except,” “yet,”  nevertheless,” “rather,” “moreover,” and “nay.” It denotes an exception or a simple opposition.

Mar 13:6 Because many shall come in my name, saying, I am [Christ]; and shall deceive many.

Alternative: Because many will make their way on my reputation speaking that “I exist” and they shall lead many astray.

Wordplay: The repeat of “many” at the beginning and end of the verse, which is captured in English, is interesting since it means that the crowd will lead the crowd astray, a common idea in Christ’s teaching.  More interesting is the use of the words “lego” and “ego” together. Christ seldom uses the first person pronoun (ego) without the word for “to say” (lego) nearby, something we discuss more extensively in this previous post about the two words.

Hidden meaning: First, you might want to read my examination of the parallel version in Matthew for a little context, because it goes into issues I am not going to cover here.

Next, what is translated as “in my name” is misleading. Christ uses a different preposition here, than in verses where Christ describe people coming together in his name or his acting in the name of God (Mat 18:20, Mat 23:39). In those verses, the preposition used is either eis, which means “for” in the sense of representation, or en, which has our meaning of “in.” Here, Christ uses the  preposition epi, we means “on” or “against.” This word indicates distance, trading on a name rather than representing it or sharing it.

The most provocative words here as Christ’s use of “I am.”  The phrase echoes the Hebrew name of God (”I am existence”). Christ seldom uses the personal pronoun except when discussing God and Christ’s authority from God (see here and here) and both are used in conjunction with what is said or left unsaid.

While the translators insert “the Christ” there is no way to get that from the context. Christ doesn’t talk about being the Christ here.

The translators also leave out the causal connection, the Greek is writing “saying that I am.”  The warning is that these people will make a living off of Christ’s existence but even, more interestingly, that they do this by saying that he is God, leading people astray.

Thematically and Linguistically Related Verse(s): Mat 24:5 is the parallel verse in Matthew.

Vocabulary:

“For” comes from gar (gar) which is the introduction of a clause explaining a reason or explanation:  “for,” “since,” and “as.” In an abrupt question it means “why” and “what.”

“Many” (both times) is from polus (polys),” “great (in size or power or worth),” and “large (of space).” As an adverb is means “far,” “very much,” “a great way,” and “long.”

“Shall come” is from erchomai (erchomai), which means to start,”  “to set out,” “to come,” “to go,” and any kind of motion. It means both “to go” on a journey and “to arrive” at a place.

“In” is from epi, (epi) which means “on,” “upon,” “at,” “by,” “before,” “across,” and “against.”

“Name” is from onoma (onoma) which means “name.” It means both the reputation of “fame,” and “a name and nothing else,” as opposed to a real person. Acting in someone’s name means to act on their behalf, as their representative.

“Say” is from legô (lego) means “pick up,” “choose for oneself,” “pick out,” and “count,”  but it used to mean “recount,” “tell over,” “say,” “speak,” “teach,” “mean,” “boast of,” “tell of,” “recite,” nominate,” and “command.”

Untranslated is hoti (hoti) which means “that” “because,”  and “since.”

“I” is from ego (ego), is the pronoun of the first person, which means “I,” “I at least,” “for my part,” “indeed,” “for myself,” and, in various forms, “me,” “my,”"mine,” “we,” “our,” “ours,” and “us.”

“Am” is from eimi (eimi), which means “I am,” “I exist,” “to be the case,” and “is possible.” The form here is the first person.

“Shall deceive” is from planaô (planao) which means “to cause to wander,” “to lead astray,” “to mislead,” “to wander,” “to stray,” and “to be misled.”

Mar 13:5 Take heed lest any [man] deceive you:

Alternative: See that no one leads you astray.

Hidden meaning:The key word here is to “take heed,” which is really the word for physically seeing things (as opposed to seeing them intellectually). While throughout the Gospels, the word used here, blepô, is almost always translated as “see,” but both here and in the parallel passage in Matthew, it is changed to “take heed” or “beware,” depending on the translation.

The contrast here is between seeing and being lead astray, the physical reality and the subjective interpretations of that reality. The issue of being deceived is not simply that people lie to us, but that we can act on their misrepresentations, following them.

The previous verse warns about the existing social order coming to an end with the analogy of a building, where one stone depends upon another as one person depends upon another in society. The issue in the end times is the choice we make about what we depend upon, what we see with our own eye or what people tell us in trying to get us to support them.

Thematically and Linguistically Related Verse(s): Mat 24:4 is the parallel verse in Matthew.

Vocabulary:

“Take heed” is from blepô (blepo), which means “to look” and “to see.” It is the more tangible sense of seeing, such as seeing what is right in front of you rather than understanding.

“Lest” is from mê (me), which is the negative used in prohibitions and expressions of doubt meaning “not” and “no.”

“Any” is from tis (tis) which can mean “someone,” “any one,” “everyone,” “many a one,” “whoever,” and so on. In a question, it can mean “who,” “why,” or “what.”

“Deceive” is from planaô (planao) which means “to cause to wander,” “to lead astray,” “to mislead,” “to wander,” “to stray,” and “to be misled.”