[b-greek] hOUTOS/EKEINOS

From: Steven Craig Miller (scmiller@plantnet.com)
Date: Mon Dec 04 2000 - 10:24:21 EST


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To: Roger Hutchinson,

<< ... the person argues that Jesus, by using the 'near' demonstrative,
hOUTOS, in Matt 24:34 could only have been referring to those to whom he
was physically speaking. Had Jesus wanted to refer to a future generation,
he would have had to use the word EKEINOS. Is his argument valid? >>

Language is by nature ambiguous. We all know which is our right or left
hand. But when someone facing us tells us that "to the right is such and
such," we might wonder if this person meant his right, or our right. While
hOUTOS is the near demonstrative, and EKEINOS is the far demonstrative, and
while hH GENEA hAUTH seems to mean "this (present) generation," I doubt
that hH GENEA EKEINH means "that (future) generation," since it could refer
to some other past generation (but then, with the proper context it most
certainly could refer to "that (future) generation").

But as for whether or not hH GENEA hAUTH does indeed mean "this (present)
generation," I would note that if one consults a critical commentary (such
as the one by Davies and Allison) one will generally find a whole list of
attempts to reinterpret this passage, but they generally look to be special
pleadings based on the obvious fact that Jesus' prediction at Mt 24:34
didn't come true. Davies and Allison [1997] write:

<< GENEA plainly refers to Jesus' contemporaries in 11.16; 12.39, 41, 42,
45; 16.4; and 17.17 as well as in the close parallel in 23.36, and the
placement of our verse after a prophecy of the 'parousia' is suggestive. If
it be objected that this makes for a false prophecy and raises the issue of
2 Pet 3.3-4, we can only reply that some of Jesus' contemporaries were
perhaps still alive when Matthew wrote, so he did not have the problem we
do >> (3:368).

-Steven Craig Miller
Alton, Illinois (USA)
scmiller@plantnet.com



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