The word "genreation" is an english word.....

by exwhyzee 4 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  exwhyzee

  I wonder if the original word or term that was written in the scrolls had the same meaning or definition as our word "generation" and how would if effect their current prophesy ? Do other translations of the Bible besides the New World Translation use the word generation ?
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  jwfacts

  Good point.

  With the generation teaching you really see the eisgesis approach to interpretation used by the Watchtower - make a Scripture mean what you want it to mean.

  For instance they try to get Hebrew examples of what a generation is, rather than explain what exactly did the author of Matthew actually mean.

  Strongs Concordance gives the following for genea:

  1. fathered, birth, nativity
  2. that which has been begotten, men of the same stock, a family
  3. the several ranks of natural descent, the successive members of a genealogy
  4. metaph. a group of men very like each other in endowments, pursuits, character
  1) esp. in a bad sense, a perverse nation
  5. the whole multitude of men living at the same time
  6. an age (i.e. the time ordinarily occupied be each successive generation), a space of 30 - 33 years

  Throughout Matthew, definitions 2a (successive members of a genealogy) and 3 (the whole multitude of men living at the same time) are used.

  Mat 1:17 "So all the generations from Abraham to David [are] fourteen generations; and from David until the carrying away into Babylon [are] fourteen generations; and from the carrying away into Babylon unto Christ [are] fourteen generations."
  
  Mat 23:36 "Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation"

  It is obvious from the context that at Matthew 24 Jesus was saying the group of people living around 33AD would be alive at 70AD. It is dubious to think Jesus had a second fullfilment for our time, and completely unsupported to say the generation will last so long it requires an overlap of generations.
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  exwhyzee

  Thanks for the comment....interesting stuff. I'm going to look up the scriptures you sited when I get a little time. I would like to look at other translations of the bible to see what word they used if any, in place of the word Generation.

  If they are going to us an English word like generation...then why not use it's English definition as well rather than assign it a definition from Bible times?
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  Mad Sweeney

  Seeing Matthew 1:17 side by side with the other uses of "generation" makes it pretty obvious that the Borg has "added to" scripture.
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  cult classic

  never thought about that before. good catch.

  I hate the way they use words They think it's vernacular for their pure language.